I am New Jersey 101.5's Morning Drive Producer/Reporter, formerly the station's Evening News Anchor from 2013 to 2016. I'm proud to be a member of our on-air and digital teams which were honored by the New Jersey chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, for coverage of the 2016 Seaside Park bombing, and by the New Jersey Broadcasters Association, for the 2015 fatal Amtrak derailment. I got my start in radio at The College of New Jersey, on student-run WTSR-FM, and graduated from TCNJ in 2009. Before coming to 101.5, I did news and sports for WGHT-AM in Pompton Lakes and WYNY-FM in Milford, PA. In a previous life as a child actor, I appeared in the Broadway cast of "Beauty and the Beast" from 1994 to 1996. I live in Hunterdon County with my wife, Kristen, and our 6-pound toy poodle and life of the party, Archie.
Patrick Lavery
Monmouth County group is more than just prom dresses
Cinderella's Closet has replaced one major annual event, and is currently preparing for its only fundraiser of 2018.
Get ready for yo-yoing temperatures these next couple of days
If a steamy Sunday had you hopefully holding onto summer for one more day, you could see a repeat of that later this week. If you're ready for fall in New Jersey, we have that too. It's all part of a very confusing weather pattern.
Performing arts fundraiser takes center stage in Summit
Many New Jersey municipalities and school districts have things like booster clubs to facilitate fundraisers for their arts programs. But in this city, a long-running nonprofit organization devoted to that purpose continues to find new ways to bring in the bucks.
She’s helping kids understand why mom has cancer
If a parent should ever have to deal with the tough task of telling a young child that the parent has a serious illness, the likely first word out of the child's mouth is predictable: "Why?"
Single-mom families get new wheels from ‘Recycled Rides’ program
The program identifies families that have fallen on hard times and are in need of better transportation, then secures the necessary resources to provide them with refurbished cars free of charge.
Randolph special-needs students get house for life skills lessons
All public schools in New Jersey are required to have transitional programs for special needs students through age 21. Here, officials have taken the mandate to a new level, purchasing and renovating a home to serve as a "transitional house."
Got E-ZPass? No more exact change booths on Parkway’s main toll plazas
The New Jersey Turnpike Authority will be removing coin baskets from the 11 mainline Garden State Parkway toll plazas, replacing their "exact change" designations with full service or E-ZPass only lanes.
Autumn walks raise money for NJ Alzheimer’s programs
The last time we checked in on Alzheimer's New Jersey's "Walk to Fight Alzheimer's" series, the organization had four fall events spread throughout the state. This year, there are five.
Jersey Shore fundraiser provides scuba training for disabled veterans
A New Jersey businessman's desire to help disabled veterans has morphed into what is now an annual fundraiser that gives them the opportunity to rehabilitate through scuba diving.
Prepping for back-to-school (and your last chance to wear white!)
It's a rite of autumn: the final First News get-to-the-beach forecast of the summer.