New Jersey

If you think the Jersey Shore means just sand and surf, the National Park Service wants you to think again.This month, it will take the wraps off an ambitious project called the New Jersey Coastal Heritage Trail. Stretching along 275 miles of coastline, the trail's scope is huge: American Revolution sites, Victorian seaside comfort stations, wildlife habitats, commercial fishing hamlets, boardwalk amusements and summer religious retreats."People usually look at this area because of recreation," says Janet Wolf, the project's director.

New Jersey?Isn't that the place with the shore, not the slopes? Isn't that the state with a turnpike, a bunch of oil refineries and a native son named Bruce Springsteen?So how do you explain that the only sure-shot gold medalist the United States will bring to the Winter Olympics comes from that great Alpine state of . . .New Jersey?Donna Weinbrecht, a 26-year-old native of West Milford, is the reigning world champion in mogul skiing. The freestyle event, sort of the ice dancing of snow, will be making its first appearance as a medal sport in the Winter Olympics in Albertville.

PHILADELPHIA - A law designed to reduce the number of accidents and fatalities among inexperienced drivers in New Jersey took effect recently. The new law requires teens to wait longer and practice more before earning unrestricted licenses. Known as graduated licensing, it eases teen-agers into unrestricted driving over a two-year period and ensures they get road experience before becoming fully licensed. Many states, including Pennsylvania, already use some form of the system. Under the new regulations, teen-agers must wait until age 18 before they can get a full driver's license.

The Jersey shore is more than just another pretty beach. For those who are allergic to crowds or can't stand getting sand in their hair, there is an alternate reality at the shore -- a world of history, ecology and inspiration, requiring neither sunny days nor planting so much as a foot in the ocean. The New Jersey Coastal Heritage Trail, established in 1988 by the federal government, is designed to highlight often-overlooked aspects of 300 miles of coastline, from Perth Amboy near New York to Cape May and the Delaware Memorial Bridge.

LANDOVER -- A pair of goals in the last 3 minutes, 35 seconds of the third period enabled the Washington Capitals to tie the Pittsburgh Penguins, 5-5, before 18,130 at the Capital Centre yesterday.The tie, Washington's fourth of the season, picked up a point for the Capitals on the New Jersey Devils in the National Hockey League's Patrick Division. New Jersey lost to the New York Rangers, 5-2, and Washington is three points back of the fourth-place Devils, whom they play tonight at the Meadowlands Arena.

WASHINGTON -- The political spotlight will focus sharply today on a tight contest for mayor of New York City and a tightening race for governor of New Jersey as voters go to the polls in off-year elections in hundreds of communities across the nation.In the race in New York, the final opinion polls, both public and unpublished, found Democratic Mayor David N. Dinkins and Republican challenger Rudolph W. Giuliani essentially even, suggesting that the outcome will depend largely on who succeeds in persuading his supporters to go to the polls.

You know the feeling -- the lemming-like fervor that propels you as you set out for a vacation at Cape May, Stone Harbor or some other spot along the Jersey shore.You can't wait to feel the sand, to dive into the surf, to start getting some return for the hundreds of dollars you're shelling out for a beachfront condo.So you set your baseball cap a little lower and press a little harder on the gas pedal. Stop for a meal? No chance. Drinks? Only if the van's air-conditioning breaks down.But there is another way.See those highway exit signs flashing by, touting towns such as Salem and Millville?

CAMDEN, N.J. - Tony Altadonna, a retired RCA worker, is 78, the father of four and the grandfather of nine. You could say he is in his twilight years. Just don't let him hear you say it. "I'm having a great time," said the Pennsauken man, who is keeping busy as a volunteer aboard the USS New Jersey. "It's the best therapy," said Altadonna, who was a mechanic in the Army Air Forces during World War II. "I don't have to go the doctor's anymore." The Home Port Alliance, the nonprofit group working to turn the New Jersey into a memorial museum on the Delaware River, plans to spend $20 million restoring the battleship and building its pier and shoreside complex.

SUSSEX, N.J. - If you look across the Delaware River while driving north on Route 209 in Pike County, Pa., you might wonder if some mischievous super-villain stole the Washington Monument and stuck it on a mountain ridge in the northwestern tip of New Jersey.What you actually are seeing is High Point Monument, which stands tall atop New Jersey's highest mountain in High Point State Park, said park Superintendent John Keator.High Point is just one of the high points in northern New Jersey state parks and forests, including Stokes State Forest and Ringwood, Wawayanda and Swartswood state parks.

ANAHEIM, Calif. - While playing on their home ice at Continental Airlines Arena, the New Jersey Devils look every bit like the Stanley Cup champions they are one victory away from becoming. With Thursday's 6-3 triumph over the Anaheim Mighty Ducks in Game 5, the Devils improved their home record this postseason to 11-1. But on the road, the Devils look more like a team hoping to make the playoffs. With losses in games 3 and 4, New Jersey is a very pedestrian 4-6 on the road in the postseason.