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ASBURY PARK PRESS

FRIDAY 03.20.15

Manasquan girls score Tournament of

Champions semifinal victory. SPORTS, 1C
USA TODAY

NETANYAHU BACKTRACKS, SAYS HE WANTS PEACE WITH PALESTINIANS PAGE 1B

Tairod Nathan Webster Pugh was indicted on

charges of attempting to provide material
support to a terrorist group and obstruction
of justice.

Far from their native habitat along the Nile,

African geese raise eyebrows at the Shore

FACEBOOK

Allegations
perplexing
to family
of suspect

HONK LIKE
AN EGYPTIAN

NICQUEL TERRY @NTERRYAPP

PHOTOS BY TOM SPADER/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Egyptian geese seem right at home along the banks of the Spring Lake in its namesake borough Tuesday.

SHANNON MULLEN @MULLENAPP

Facts about Egyptian geese:

SPRING LAKE Visitors flock to this tony seaside enclave from all over the world, drawn by its
pristine beaches, multimillion-dollar homes and
quaint downtown.
But lately one out-of-towner in particular has attracted a lot of attention: the Egyptian goose.
Smaller than the ubiquitous Canada goose, this
exotic waterfowl species, which looks like a cross
between a goose and a duck, is a native of Africa, as
its name suggests. Chiefly found along the Nile River and south of the Sahara Desert, a handful of these
birds turned up here about a year ago and now seem
quite content to take up permanent residence along
the boroughs namesake lake.
And who could blame them? Ordinarily it costs a
fortune to move here, but geese face no such barriers, with or without a hefty nest egg.
For avid birders, this is old news. There have been
sightings of Egyptian geese in parts of New Jersey
going back to the late 1990s. More recently theyve
popped up in New Brunswick along the Raritan River,
in and around coastal ponds between Asbury Park and
Point Pleasant Beach and in more southern portions of
the state.

They are smaller than Canada geese.

They have pink bills, legs and feet.
They mate for life.
They look like a cross between a duck
and a goose.

See SUSPECT, Page 8A

DOE defends
student social
media monitoring
AMANDA OGLESBY @OGLESBYAPP
TRENTON School leaders may be reading students
Tweets about the new standardized test, but state education officials say that doesnt mean their privacy
rights are being violated.
State Department of Education officials appeared
Thursday before the Assembly Education Committee,
where they defended actions aimed at protecting the integrity of the new Partnership for Assessment of
Readiness for College and Careers, or PARCC.
Some educators reacted with concern for student
privacy after the Department of Education acknowledged that the company that administers the PARCC is
behind an effort to comb through students Facebook
and Twitter posts. The resulting explosion of media interest triggered some elected officials to decry the
practice and seek answers from department officials.
Assemblyman Patrick Diegnan Jr., the committees

See GEESE, Page 9A

To see a video and photo

gallery about the geese, scan
the QR code or visit

NEPTUNE The aunt of a Neptune man accused of

plotting to join the terrorist group ISIS said she is in
disbelief that Tairod Nathan Webster Pugh could commit such acts.
Speaking through the screen door of her house on
Thursday morning, Helena Pugh told the Asbury Park
Press that she hadnt seen her nephew Tairod in several
years but that his family is hurt by the news.
I feel bad, said Pugh, 78. I dont know how he came
to be the person that he is.
Tairod Pugh, a former U.S. Air Force veteran and airplane mechanic, was indicted on charges of attempting
to provide material support to a terrorist group and obstruction of justice, according to the indictment. He
pleaded not guilty in federal court in New York on
Wednesday.
Helena Pugh said she was married to Tairods uncle,
Samuel Pugh, who is deceased. She said that she has
grown close to Pughs father, who still lives in the area,
over the years.
Even his father is just overwhelmed by it, she said.
He cant believe it himself.
Attempts to reach Pughs father were unsuccessful.

APP.com

The geese, considered sacred by the ancient Egyptians and

domesticated by the early Romans and Greeks, mate for life and are
known to be attentive parents.

See MONITOR, Page 8A

Osborne
taking on
Stone Pony
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VOLUME 136
NUMBER 68

LET IT SNOW,
LET IT SNOW,
LET IT SNOW?
Up to 3
predicted for
Shore today.
STORY, 3A

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