This local story needs no embellishment:

Flaming squirrel ignites car in Bayonne

by N. Clark Judd
Thursday October 18, 2007, 7:29 PM

A kamikaze squirrel fell from the sky and detonated a Bayonne woman's car yesterday, police said today.

Lindsey Millar, 23, and her brother, Tony, 22, were both home Wednesday at about 12:45 p.m. when Lindsey's car suddenly started burning outside their 42nd Street home.

Tony Millar said firefighters told them it was the work of a buck-toothed saboteur that had been gnawing on overhead power lines connected to a transformer directly above the 2006 Toyota Camry.

"The squirrel chewed through the wire, was set on fire, fell down directly to where the car was," Tony Millar said. "The squirrel, on fire, slid into the engine compartment and blew up the car.

"They're always coming around here, chewing through the garbage," he added.

Tony Millar says his sister was fully insured.

"It's something to laugh about once she has a new car," he said. "It's not funny yet."

Police said there were no injuries -- except for the squirrel, that is, which is dead.

The Millars' home is decorated for Halloween, complete with a tiny plastic tombstone on their front lawn. Tony Millar said the family will consider dedicating the tombstone to the squirrel, who was not named.

You can't make this stuff up!

We've actually had two squirrels kill themselves in a similar manner outside our house, causing blackouts. We've found their charred little bodies in the street afterwards. Apparently I need to remember to never park underneath that transformer!

Here is a pdf of the ruling (or html if you prefer)

As per the New York Times:

The State Supreme Court in New Jersey said today that same-sex couples are entitled to the same rights and benefits enjoyed by opposite-sex couples under the civil marriage statutes.

As per Yahoo News (via AP):

New Jersey's Supreme Court opened the door to gay marriage Wednesday, ruling that homosexuals are entitled to the same rights as heterosexuals, but leaving it to lawmakers to legalize same-sex unions.

As per DailyKos:

The NJ State Supreme court just ruled that the state must provide all of the rights and benefits of marriage to same sex couples. The decision gives the state legislature 180 days to either modify the marriage laws to allow gay marriage or to grant all of the rights and privileges of marriage to same-sex couples.

ETA: From a comment on the metafilter discussion on the announcement:

Now it's CRITICAL for NJ residents to call their state legislatures and ask them to support the bill that will shortly be introduced by Assembly Speaker Pro Tem Wilfredo Caraballo, Assemblyman Brian Stack and Assemblyman Reed Gusciora, which will make marriage proper legal for ALL citizens.