Beginning Saturday, police in New Jersey will have the authority to stop and fine motorists for using hand-held cell phones while they drive, but the state's own statistics and a growing body of academic research suggest the change won't make it any safer to drive here.
Jim Pathe/The Star-LedgerAn electronic sign in Piscataway announces the new cell phone law for drivers.

The revised law makes using a hand-held cell phone a primary offense, but allows drivers to talk as long as they use a hands-free device.

Drivers who respond to the new law by switching to a headset or other hands-free device instead of putting their phones down altogether while they drive appear to be only marginally less likely to be involved in crashes, research shows.
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Under the law, drivers caught talking or texting on a hand-held cell phone can be hit with $100 fine and a $250 surcharge.

Read more in Thursday's Star-Ledger.

8:15 p.m.: A slight stain should appear on the moon's lower left edge - the penumbra, Earth's light outer shadow that the Moon started entering at 7:35 p.m.

8:43 p.m.: A dark bite will appear in the moon's lower left edge. The moon will start entering the umbra, the central dark part of Earth's shadow. The bite will keep growing. And this curved edge of Earth's shadow will be direct visual proof that Earth is round.

9 to 10 p.m.: Telescopes will show the inky shadow of Earth creeping over exquisite bright lunar craters and mountains. In the country, stars will come out in droves across the sky. Saturn and Regulus burn brighter and brighter. The moon will move slowly farther from Regulus and closer to Saturn.

10 p.m.: The last slice of moon will enter the umbra - the start of the eclipse. There may be a lingering yellow or blue rim on the moon's upper right, but the moon as a whole should now look one or more shades of red or orange.

10:26 p.m.: Mid-eclipse. Saturn and Regulus, the heart of Leo the Lion, will burn brightest.

10:52 p.m.: The eclipse will end. A bright sliver of light should break out at the lower left edge of the moon. The last bit of umbra will disappear from the moon at 12:09 a.m., and the penumbra should disappear by 12:45 a.m.

Associated Press - February 20, 2008 3:33 PM ET

JERSEY CITY, N.J. (AP) - A lockdown at a New Jersey college is over after officials found no threat on campus.

The mayor of Jersey City, New Jersey, says a handwritten note that forced St. Peter's College to lock down its campus threatened violence against the school, but made no mention of bombs or guns.

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