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Anthony Puglisi scored 21 points to lead fifth-seeded Indian Hills past 13th-seeded Westwood 48-29 in the quarterfinals of the North Jersey, Section 1, Group 2 Tournament in Oakland.

Indian Hills (19-6) took a 20-18 lead into halftime before shutting Westwood (12-14) out in the third quarter and pushing it to a 15-point advantage. Indian Hills also outscored Westwood 15-11 in the fourth to win its eighth in a row.

James Hickey added 10 points for Indian Hills while Robbie Carcich led Westwood with 11.

Indian Hills will face top-seeded Ramsey in the semifinals on Saturday.

Ramsey 48, Jefferson 38

Top-seeded defeated ninth-seeded Jefferson 48-38 in the quarterfinals of the North Jersey, Section 1, Group 2 Tournament in Ramsey.

With the victory, Ramsey (22-4) won its fifth in a row and six of its last seven.

Ramsey will face fifth-seeded Indian Hills in the semifinals on Saturday.

Jefferson fell to 17-7.

Glen Rock 48, Wallkill Valley 45

Mason Mangione scored 13 points to help lift 11th-seeded Glen Rock over 14th-seeded Wallkill Valley 48-45 in the quarterfinals of the North Jersey, Section 1, Group 2 Tournament in Glen Rock.

Luke Famularo added 10 points for Glen Rock (16-10) while Jack Hattersley had nine.

Ryan Geene led Wallkill Valley (12-15) with 27 points and went 10-10 from the free-throw line.

Glen Rock will face second-seeded Elmwood Park in the semifinals on Saturday.

Wallkill Valley fell to 12-15.

Elmwood Park 61, Pascack Hills 55

DeWayne Carter led second-seeded Elmwood Park with 15 points over seventh-seeded Pascack Hills 61-55 in the quarterfinals of the North Jersey, Section 1, Group 2 Tournament in Elmwood Park.

David Forzani and Ivan Corcino Mejia added 10 points for Elmwood Park (21-5) while Alex Picinich and Essam Assaf had 10. With the victory, the Crusaders won seven of its last eight games.

Elmwood Park will face 11th-seeded Glen Rock in the semifinals on Saturday.

Pascack Hills dropped to 13-12.

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There will be no parties or banquet hall-style events at the proposed Monsun Indian Cuisine in Oradell, according to testimony from its owner at last week’s zoning board meeting.

“It’s a lot of work to have a party,” said owner Rekha Karnik. “I’m shying away from having parties at my new place.”

The proposal for a two-story, 92-seat restaurant by applicant RK Holdings LLC had its fifth hearing on Wednesday night, and it revealed more details about the proposed restaurant for 240 Kinderkamack Road. Karnik owns a Monsun Indian Cuisine in River Edge, which will be closed and moved to the Oradell location if the application is approved.

Karnik said the second floor wouldn’t have enough space for these types of events and she plans instead to have a permanent buffet on the second floor. The first floor will also have a buffet on the weekends, as the staff will remove some seating to make room for it on those days, Karnik said.

Karnik, who has owned the property since 2004, said she used to run a software development company from the location before the then-building burned down in a fire. She decided to move her restaurant to the empty Oradell lot after hearing about another new restaurant that’s coming to the downtown

“That area is surrounded by small eateries, and now there’s two big, nice restaurants coming to town,” Karnik said. “I thought having an Indian restaurant would be a good cultural diversity. If you look at Westwood or Ridgewood downtowns, there’s so many different ethnic places, and people enjoy the variety that they offer.”

Previous coverage:Indian restaurant proposal in Oradell revised. Here's what changed in the plan

One of the restaurants in question is Ora, a 248-seat, two-story restaurant with outdoor dining and a vegetable garden. It was approved in May 2021 and recently started construction. The owners of Fire & Oak, a popular bar and restaurant with locations in Montvale and Jersey City, are also planning to bring a venture called "The Oak House Grill" to the site of the borough's former Charlie Brown's steakhouse, which closed in 2020.

Monsun Indian Cuisine, if approved, would be open Tuesday to Sunday, with lunchtime from noon to 3 p.m. and dinner from 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m., Karnik said. She plans to have 12 employees, including three chefs.

RK Holdings is seeking six variances for aspects of the project that would deviate from local zoning requirements, including for its front-yard setback, parking, and the floor-area ratio, a measure of a building’s floor space in relation to the size of the lot.

The top floor of the restaurant would have 48 seats, down from the 54 seats proposed in past hearings. The first floor, which also contains the kitchen, food preparation area, reception area and bathrooms, would have 44 seats.

The next hearing for Monsun Indian Cuisine will be heard before the Oradell zoning board on March 20 at Borough Hall, at 355 Kinderkamack Road. The meeting also will be livestreamed by OPTV on the borough's website.

After 16 years, Jack's Cafe, a snug, funky diner in Westwood, is set to close on Dec. 10.

Chef and owner Chris D'Eletto said the nearly three-year-old financial devastation COVID-19 had inflicted on his cozy, breakfast-lunch-and-dinner spot is the primary reason he plans to close its doors. But first, he'll throw a "thank-you" party for Westwood with free food and wine.

"We love Westwood. It has been such a loyal and loving community," said D'Eletto, who lives a half-mile from his restaurant in the borough. "If I'd catch a red light, I'd consider that a bad commute," he quipped.

D'Eletto said the cafe, whose red walls are covered in family photos and vinyl records (D'Eletto is a huge Springsteen fan), was struggling financially in the last few years.

"We would break even some weeks and some weeks it would cost me," he said. "I was keeping the cafe open so my guys could have a job." His staff, he said, are "family." Tears were shed when he announced the closing to them, he reported.

More:Shopper's Find department store closing permanently this week at Willowbrook Mall

D'Eletto, however, said he is closing also because he plans to work with his son, Johnny, at Donut Villa Diner, a thriving restaurant that is about to open its fourth location in the Boston area. His son is its manager.

For several months, D'Eletto has been communing to Boston to help the restaurants set up. "I was doing it as a favor to my son," he said.

But when the owner put forward a "very generous offer" to come on board permanently, he said, "I decided to make the change."

He added, "It's been a great 16 years."

However, he said he does not plan to leave the metropolitan area.

"I love New Jersey, I love New York," he said. "I take acting classes in the city. I love the New York Giants. I have my season tickets. I'm not leaving here."

More:These North Jersey eateries and businesses closing for good

The goodbye party is scheduled from noon to 4 p.m. on Dec. 10. Among the free food that will be offered: chicken parm, sliders and mozzarella sticks.

Jack's Cafe is at 325 Broadway, Westwood; 201-666-0400, jackscafenj.com.

Sam Selvam’s family gave him a mug that crystallizes his steely calmness in a single phrase: “In case of emergency, ask Sam.” When the 50-year-old Westwood, New Jersey, man realized he was having a heart attack in January 2022, he channeled this inborn composure. After taking an aspirin, Sam made two phone calls to ensure his 12-year-old would have transportation to and from sports practices. Then he called 911.

“It’s what I tell my boys: Think before you do something, and make sure you’re ready for any situation. Do good; be good,” says Sam, a corporate real estate consultant. “I was raised to always be prepared.”

But little could actually prepare Sam for what would unfold over the coming days. When first responders met him outside his home, he collapsed, suffering more sharp, debilitating chest pain. CPR kept him alive until his ambulance reached Pascack Valley Medical Center, where his condition became dire when another round of severe symptoms hit. Close to death, Sam was immediately airlifted by helicopter to Hackensack University Medical Center, where specialists blended expertise, the latest cardiovascular technology and medications to help him not only live, but thrive.

When Sam arrived at Hackensack, he was in cardiogenic shock. Hisheart was so weak it could not pump blood to the tissues. It was an all-hands-on-deck situation to make sure he had more than a 50/50 chance of surviving.

Heart Pump Allows Healing

Admittedly, Sam’s lifestyle choices had placed his heart at risk. A pack-a-day smoker since his youth, the father of two also ate poorly. “Bacon was an appetizer and dessert for me, and I drank soda nonstop,” he recalls. But Sam’s prediabetes was in check, and he stayed active with his boys, often playing soccer and shooting baskets.

To shore up Sam’s failing heart, which was pumping blood at only 15 percent of capacity, an interventional cardiologist threaded a tiny pump called an Impella device into the heart through blood vessels in his leg. The device temporarily takes over the work of the organ to keep blood circulating properly while the heart rests and heals. The cardiac catheterization team also inserted a cage-like stent to open the left anterior descending artery—often dubbed the “widowmaker”—near Sam’s heart where plaque had ruptured, creating the clot that triggered Sam’s extensive heart attack episode.

Sam’s heart was still struggling. He was upgraded to a second, stronger Impella pump that could provide even more heart support, which was implanted by cardiac surgeon Yuriy Dudiy, M.D. “Collaboration among multiple specialists and access to advanced devices like the Impella technologies enable us to treat life-threatening escalation in the sickest patients,” says Dr. Dudiy.

Sam’s organs had been without proper oxygen during his cardiac crisis, resulting in kidney failure. He underwent dialysis treatments to compensate for his kidney failure and filter waste from his body. Medications to bolster his heart’s pumping ability enabled doctors to remove the Impella before Sam was discharged nearly one month after his saga began.

Vital and Strong

Committed to living a healthier lifestyle, Sam drinks much more water than soda these days and no longer smokes. His kidneys fully recovered, helping him regain his vitality and even hike with his sons at the Grand Canyon. Within a few months, he was also back on the soccer field in an annual parents vs. kids game. “I ran for 30 minutes straight and felt great,” he says.

Sam takes an array of daily medications and has frequent follow-up visits with cardiologist Kanika Mody, M.D., who specializes in heart failure and transplantation cardiology. His heart still pumps with less force than normal, but Dr. Mody is encouraged by how well he’s doing.

“He’s gotten a lot stronger and has a great attitude,” Dr. Mody says. “As long as he follows the plan, he should do really well and won’t need more medications. He’s young, with an active family, and he wants to be part of that. That makes it so fruitful when you see these outcomes.”

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Westwood Plaza, a faceless strip mall in Bergen County, is now home to one of New Jersey’s most dubious pieces of retail history.

Here lies New Jersey’s last remaining Kmart, a zombified version of the once-omnipresent franchise wading toward its final Blue Light Special. Stowed a few miles off the Garden State Parkway, the lonely store is now one of only three U.S. locations left standing, after the franchise’s Avenel location shuttered in April amid sweeping closures.

Kmart, which opened its first store in Michigan in 1962 (born from a five-and-dime called Kresge’s founded in 1899), once touted dozens of New Jersey locations among its nearly 2,500 North American stores, peaking in 1994. Nostalgic shoppers may recall spinoffs like Super Kmart, Super Kmart Center and Big Kmart.

The Jersey staple was a cheaper and more convenient retail option than the mall, and Kmart offered a little bit of everything — a one-stop shop for clothing, cleaning supplies, appliances, sports equipment, jewelry and more. And if you got hungry from all that perusing, a hot dog or bag of popcorn was ready in the cafe.

“They would have everything you needed,” said Adele, a resident of nearby Piermont, N.Y. who still makes the trip across the state line to visit the Westwood Kmart. “Household items, accessories, toys, kids things. Bicycles, there was a whole line that you could select from.”

But during our visit last week, the lingering big box store was almost empty — more of a derelict, fluorescently lit portal to the past than a functional shopping experience. Shelves were sparse or altogether barren, loosely stocked with Trapper Keepers, above-ground pools and Valentine’s Day cards (it’s June). One corner of the store was completely bereft of merchandise, blocked off to customers by a barricade of shelves. Elsewhere, Adele’s line of bikes was reduced to a dwindling few on an otherwise bare wall.

Yet one aisle remained full: The DVD section, a format made obsolete by the internet — just like Kmart. Posters for movies and TV shows that have since been replaced by sequels and new seasons were still on display: Season 3 of “Stranger Things,” and “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” both of which were released in 2019.

Only a handful of staff members remain employed at the Westwood location (none were made available to talk to NJ Advance Media), yet they nearly outnumbered the paltry few customers who lurked in the aisles.

When asked if the final Jersey store, first opened in 1982, has plans to close, the store’s manager declined comment and directed NJ Advance Media to contact their corporate office, operated by Illinois-based parent company Transformco, which was not reachable for comment.

But let’s be real — it doesn’t look good.

Washington Township resident Rosanne used to shop at the Kmart in Paramus, which closed in 2014, before she started taking trips to the Westwood store. She’d bring her grandchildren here while babysitting, “just to waste time.” She still finds herself shopping there for herself now. On this day, she was simply looking for a broom.

“I can’t say it’s nostalgic. But it’s convenient,” Rosanne said. “It was around when my kids were little. So you know, it’s been around for a long time.”

She noted that the store’s selection was somehow even more meager just a few months ago, and worse still during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic — less stock was difficult to imagine.

“I hope it stays here,” Rosanne said. “Or, maybe a Walmart.”

While Kmart was never as dominant as Walmart — the Arkansas-based chain has more than 10,000 stores worldwide — it certainly held its own in the battle for New Jersey shoppers’ business through the end of the 20th Century.

Then came a financial crisis and bankruptcy in 2002 along with the closure of hundreds of stores as the company’s CEO was sued by the SEC for misleading shareholders. Sales continued to dwindle, and 326 more locations were shuttered the next year. As Target, Walmart and online shopping became more dominant, Kmart withered. The chain’s biggest impact on New Jersey in recent years was at the West Orange shop, which closed in 2020 and became a COVID-19 vaccine center for Essex County.

When reached by NJ Advance Media, Kmart declined comment on the remaining stores’ profitability or the future of the company.

Could Kmart keep on limping along, with only this lowly trio of brick-and-mortar locations as other shoppers presumably buy online? Perhaps, but judging by how little upkeep was being provided to the Westwood store, imminent closure seems far more likely.

Aiden Martin, a 19-year-old from Hillsdale, used to come to the Westwood Kmart all the time as a kid. He and friends would play hide-and-seek throughout the stores well-stocked aisles and build forts out of toilet paper, seeing if they could stay hidden even after the store had closed.

“There used to be couches everywhere. It’s kind of all gone. Gone with the times, I guess,” Martin said. “It takes a little bit of fun out of my childhood memories to see it completely dead now with nothing. Everything’s cheap. But it’s just like everything’s gone.”

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