Anyone with information asked to call police

NEWARK --A group of rookie police officers assigned to a walking patrol found a man shot to his ankle Saturday afternoon in the city, authorities said.

The 20-year-old Newark man was being treated at University Hospital, according to police. 

A passerby drove to 18th Avenue and flagged down the probationary city officers around 3:45 p.m., police said in a statement. The officers ran to the 70's block of Sunset Avenue where they discovered the wounded man.

Police said the suspects were believed to have fled the shooting in a gray car, possibly a Nissan Sentra.

Authorities ID man killed in Newark shooting

Detectives from the city's Cease Fire Shooting Response Team were in the early stages of their investigation and have not yet determined a motive, police said.

Anyone with information was asked to contact Newark's 24-hour Crime Stoppers tip line at 877-NWK-TIPS (877-695-8477) or NWK-GUNS (877-695-4867). Anonymous tips to Crime Stoppers would be kept confidential, police added.

Noah Cohen may be reached at ncohen@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @noahyc. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Homicide reported on Isabella Avenue Saturday night

NEWARK -- The Essex County Prosecutor's Office was investigating a deadly shooting on Isabella Avenue in the city's West Ward Saturday night, authorities said.

Chief Assistant Prosecutor Thomas Fennelly confirmed investigators with the prosecutor's office Major Crimes Task Force were handling the homicide probe.

Fennelly said additional details were not immediately available shortly after the shooting.

Authorities ID man killed in Newark shooting

The slaying came a day after a 20-year-old Newark man was shot and killed on North Munn Avenue.

At least 27 homicides were reported in the state's largest city this year, according to an NJ Advance Media tally.

Noah Cohen may be reached at ncohen@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @noahyc. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

DiVincenzo used campaign funds for trips to luxury hotels in Puerto Rico, and expensive meals with unnamed companions. To save him, Gov. Chris Christie drained all power from the state's election watchdog. Watch video

Joe DiVincenzo is a very lucky fellow, with lots of powerful friends.

The Essex County executive just wriggled out of civil corruption charges on a technicality, so he won't have to pay any fines.

In fact, this clears him to continue his habit of spending campaign funds on trips to luxury hotels in Puerto Rico, expensive dinners with people he won't name, and even tennis matches and baseball games in New York.

His lawyer says he could go even further if he likes, and use those funds to fly to France and to dine at the world's best restaurants. New Jersey law has no cap.

For Joe D, as they call him, politics isn't broken at all. It's working just fine.

But his escape leaves a trail of slime. And not surprisingly, it leads straight to his chief benefactor, Gov. Chris Christie.

That is the heart of this story, and the reason it goes way beyond Joe D. Because what Christie did was to defang the state agency that enforces campaign finance rules, the Election Law Enforcement Commission, by failing to fill its vacant seats.

That left ELEC without a quorum, according to a lower court judge. So ELEC's case against DiVincenzo was dismissed with no finding of guilt or innocence. And last week, a reluctant appellate court confirmed that dismissal.

Now ELEC, depleted by deaths and departures, has only one surviving member, its chairman, Ronald DeFilippis. He is beyond frustrated for good reason: He's a watchdog with no teeth.

"It's a weird feeling," he says. "I can't put forth a motion, and then second it myself, and vote for it."

Christie has a weak cover story, which I'll get to.

But first, let me be bipartisan: The governor had help in this caper from senior Democrats -- notably state Senate President Stephen Sweeney (D-Gloucester), who is preparing to run for governor next year and desperately needs DiVincenzo's support.

Sweeney has made no fuss about the vacancies that saved DiVincenzo. And when the governor did make a single Republican nomination last year, Democrats didn't even hold a confirmation hearing.

"I know what it looks like," Sweeney says. "I can swear up and down on my kids that I didn't do this, but I can't prove it."

Sweeney and Christie plan to meet this week, and both sides say they hope to agree on fresh nominations to fill the four-person board, with partisan balance as required by law.

Which raises this damning question: Why now, finally?

After years of delay, why are they suddenly moving to power up ELEC the week after DiVincenzo won his dismissal?

Call me a skeptic, but it seems to me that their work is done. They've been content to let ELEC flounder for years in order to protect their buddy. And now that he's in a safe harbor, they feel free to give the watchdog its teeth back.

DeFilippis says he's been pressing the governor to act for years, but has been met with stonewalling.

"I talk to them constantly, and my executive director Jeff Brindle talks to them constantly," he says. "We're not going to go in there and pound our shoe on the table like Khrushchev, but everyone is fully aware."

I asked the governor's office to explain why he has failed to fill these vacancies, and got a bunch of spin.

So I asked DeFilippis if he's ever gotten a clear answer in the five years he's been pressing them. "No," he said.

Sweeney has no better answers. He says the Senate "probably" didn't move the governor's lone Republican nominee because no Democratic nominees were offered for balance.

But why didn't he press the governor to nominate some Democrats? Why didn't he suggest some Democratic names?

 "I really don't remember," he said.

Confirming the one Republican wouldn't have mattered much, as it turns out. The lower court judge ruled that any sanction of DiVincenzo would require a bipartisan vote.

Which brings us to the final stink bomb in this case. The lone Democrat on ELEC, Walter Timpone, was also a good friend of DiVincenzo's. He voted on two matters related to DiVincenzo, but recused himself from the key vote filing charges, making it impossible to meet the court's bipartisan standard.

Three weeks ago, Christie nominated Timpone for a seat on the state Supreme Court, and Sweeney moved the confirmation through the Senate with lightning speed. Hmmm.

The moral of this story is this: If you have juice in New Jersey politics, the old boy network will protect you, even if it means disabling a vital agency like ELEC.

On that, at least, New Jersey is as bipartisan as can be. DiVincenzo, a Democrat, endorsed Christie for re-election. And Sweeney, another Democrat, has been Christie's partner on all the governor's key reforms.

So pardon my skepticism, but I don't believe they acted in good faith in this case. I can't peer into their hearts, but all the evidence suggests that they rallied to protect a friend who was caught abusing his power for personal gain.

As for ELEC, it could appeal either of the court rulings that derailed this case. And the appellate court said it is at least possible that ELEC could file fresh charges against DiVincenzo once the empty seats are filled.

"The appellate court left us a window," DeFilippis says.

But the court also said that move could be challenged. And DiVincenzo's attorney, Angelo Genova, seems ready for that fight. "There are a lot of hurdles," he said.

My guess is that DiVincenzo skates. Politicians who use campaign money for personal expenses can be prosecuted on criminal fraud charges, but that's rare.

Because this money can legitimately be used on things like restaurants and flights, as long as the meeting's purpose is to discuss politics or governing. DiVincenzo is stretching the rules, and it was enough for ELEC to file civil charges. But the line is a hazy one.

Former Sen. Bill Schluter wrote the law that established ELEC, and now says it needs an amendment to limit this kind of extravagance. "This part of the law should be spelled out," he says.

Don't expect DiVincenzo to show restraint now, though. He just kicked the watchdog, and learned that it has no teeth.

His latest report shows that his campaign has $559,000 in the bank.

So why stop at Puerto Rico? The French Riviera beckons.

More: Tom Moran columns 

Tom Moran may be reached at tmoran@starledger.com or call (973) 836-4909. Follow him on Twitter @tomamoran. Find NJ.com Opinion on Facebook.

Legal experts said the racial epithets could influence how jurors weigh the evidence in Shawn Custis's trial. Watch video

NEWARK -- At the start of Shawn Custis's home invasion trial last month, an Essex County jury watched a "nanny-cam" video of an African-American man severely beating a woman in front of her 3-year-old daughter before fleeing their Millburn residence.

But the jurors will soon learn that after township police arrived at the scene on June 21, 2013, the video kept rolling and Millburn Detective Collin McMillan was captured uttering racial slurs about the suspect, including referring to him as a "monkey."

That revelation has pumped the issue of racism into one of New Jersey's most high-profile cases in recent years, allowing the defense to raise questions about the police investigation that led to the charges against Custis, who is African-American.

Legal experts said the video portions containing the racial epithets, as described to them by a reporter, could have a significant impact on the jury in weighing the evidence in the case and the detective's role in the investigation.

Given "the extent of racial bias in the criminal justice system," many jurors will likely be upset over McMillan's racial slurs and Custis could be acquitted, according to Rutgers-Newark law professor Louis Raveson.

"With such powerful evidence of bias, it could easily lead this jury to find the defendant not guilty, simply because everybody's fed up with the police not doing what they're supposed to do and allowing their personal and racist attitudes to infect the job that they do," Raveson said.

But former Union County Prosecutor Ted Romankow said jurors should convict Custis if they're convinced he is the attacker in the "nanny-cam" video and put aside the issue of the detective's racial bias.

"I don't think they should use that as an excuse to find the defendant not guilty," Romankow said. "Otherwise, they're rewarding the defense by saying that the police officer was prejudiced and therefore we're going to let an assailant go free."

"That would be another injustice," Romankow added.

The video does not clearly depict the assailant's face, and the victim identified another man as the possible culprit when she reviewed photos of Custis, 45, of Newark, and other potential suspects.

But four witnesses have testified during the trial about how they spoke with the police and identified Custis as the attacker in the video.

In another critical piece of evidence, an Essex County sheriff's officer testified on Tuesday about how Custis allegedly confessed to the home invasion during an altercation on March 9 in a holding cell area at the courthouse.

The trial is scheduled to resume on Monday, when jurors will likely hear testimony from McMillan, who is white, and view those portions of the video where he uttered the racial slurs.

Over the coming weeks, Custis's attorney, John McMahon, is expected to argue that McMillan's racial bias tainted the entire investigation.

At a hearing on Wednesday, McMahon noted how McMillan participated in the investigation at the residence, visited the victim at the hospital and interviewed her, participated in collecting a DNA sample from her and was part of the team that ultimately arrested Custis.

When Custis was arrested, authorities said they seized a pair of bloody jeans belonging to him and a DNA analysis later showed the blood belonged to the victim.

McMahon claimed McMillan's fellow officers must have known he is a "racist," and he questioned why McMillan was allowed to work on a case involving an African-American suspect.

"It taints everything," McMahon said.

Between the bloody jeans and the detective's racial epithets, the "nanny-cam" case is reminiscent of the O.J. Simpson murder trial in the mid-1990s, according to Gerald Uelmen, a former member of Simpson's defense team and now a professor at Santa Clara University School of Law in California.

In the Simpson case, the defense highlighted evidence of Los Angeles Detective Mark Fuhrman using racial epithets and claimed he planted a bloody glove on Simpson's estate.

Referring to the "nanny-cam" case, Uelmen said: "It is kind of Fuhrman all over again, isn't it?"

Fuhrman was a key prosecution witness - who allegedly discovered the bloody glove - and the potential impact of McMillan's racial slurs at the Custis trial also will depend on whether he played a vital role in the "nanny-cam" investigation, Uelmen said.

"It sounds like this officer's credibility is going to be an important part of the prosecution's case," Uelmen said. "Certainly his bias is relevant and should be presented to the jury.

"There's no question but that the racial prejudice of a police officer affects his credibility where the defendant is black and...the police investigating him have a prejudice against blacks," Uelmen added.

"The jury should know that and take it into account in assessing that officer's believability."

Romankow, the former Union County prosecutor, said McMillan's racial bias alone should not affect the jury's deliberations, but jurors should consider whether that bias impugned the integrity of the evidence.

The defense could argue that, as a result of McMillan's prejudice, the evidence was not properly collected, Romankow said.

"Did he do something which would affect the evidence itself?" Romankow said. "That's what the defense is trying to show...that he's prejudiced and therefore he somehow did something to the evidence."

"Whether they can prove that is another story though," he added.

But beyond the Custis trial, incidents such as the one involving McMillan's racial slurs exacerbate tensions between police and communities of color, and validate feelings that some police officers are racially biased, according to Kami Chavis, a professor at the Wake Forest University School of Law in North Carolina.

"What we're really talking about - the heart of the issue - is we're talking about legitimacy and confidence and fairness and equity and, when you see things like this, it undermines all of that," Chavis said.

"It's becoming very difficult to ignore the role that bias plays in the criminal justice system."

Bill Wichert may be reached at bwichert@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @BillWichertNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Montclair group offers free aid to injured vets

When Lech Sierpowski goes to the screening of "Thank You for Your Service" at the Montclair Film Festival Tuesday night, it will trigger some of the anger and despair he lives with every day.

He will leave it agitated; he will wonder why, again, the country he served didn't see problems like his coming and, when faced with it, tried to solve it with prescription upon prescription of physical and mental painkillers. Sierpowski couldn't wait until he turned 18, so he could go down to his hometown post office in Bloomfield and register for the Selective Service. Within a few months, he was in the Marine Corps.

This was 16 years ago, before the USS Cole, the terror attack of 9/11, and the invasions  of Iraq and Afghanistan.

"I enlisted because of patriotism," Sierpowski said Friday. "I enlisted because of pride and because I owed my country an obligation."

Sierpowski, now 34, said this in the Montclair law office of Michael Pasquale, who runs the non-profit organization Officers of the Courts Corp. (OCC), which gives free legal services to injured military people and veterans seeking benefits due them for the sacrifices they've made.

"Thank You for Your Service" will be screened at the Clairidge Theater on Tuesday at 7 p.m.  A cocktail reception with filmmaker Tom Donahue and Pasquale's group, which has provided over $250,000 worth legal services to wounded veterans in the last year, will follow.

MORE: Recent Mark Di Ionno columns

The documentary centers on a group of Marines, who opened fire on a car that ran a security checkpoint outside of Baghdad in 2003. Inside was a civilian family and three male members were killed.

"PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) comes in many forms," said Pasquale, who has been giving free legal help to veterans for 10 years but launched OCC (www.officersofthecourts.org) last June. "Some of it comes from watching your buddies get killed, some it comes from the killing you've done."

In the film, the Marines struggle with "moral injury," Donahue said after a New York screening in February. "That is an invisible wound. It's a component of PTSD you just can't medicate away."

The stricken men deal with suicidal thoughts, alienation and anger, and prescription drug addiction. Their families don't recognize the men who returned home, war-torn. 

Adding to these problems is the woeful lack of psychological support by the military and U.S. Department of Veteran's Affairs.

Sierpowski can relate from his own combat experience and aftercare, if you can call it that.

He was in the first convoys that sped into Iraq in 2003, moving 24 straight hours over rough terrain. He was the turret gunner on a 5-ton transport truck, exposed to mortar and sniper fire.

"You're basically up there waiting to be hit," he said.

And, of course, he did his own hitting. Even now, as he tries to talk about it ... well, he can't. His eyes flutter and his mouth contorts.

"I don't really want to talk about that, if that's okay," Sierpowski said.

"I think people in our society underestimate the mental trauma that comes with killing somebody," Pasquale said.

He's right. It looks so damn easy in the movies and video games of our violence-saturated culture. But the guys who live it know differently.

"I saw a lot of death," Sierpowski said.

His gunny sergeant stepped directly on an IED.

"I helped recover his remains," he said. "I picked up a finger; his wedding ring was still on it. I can't see a wedding ring today without thinking about it."

In a village caught in crossfire between advancing Americans and retreating Iraqis, Sierpowski  found a little girl screaming in pain, her face laced with shrapnel and her body burned. She cowered in a destroyed home surrounded by dead members of her family.

"I picked her up and brought her to command," he said. "I'm bawling, crying, 'Saying we have to help her.' They said, 'We can't. It's against the rules. You have to leave her.' "

These are the images Sierpowski and other combat veterans live with. For them, they can't be pushed into some dark corner the general public doesn't want to look into.

"The all-volunteer aspect of the military has depleted sympathy for these guys," Pasquale said. "The lowest percentage of Americans ever serves in the military while we're engaged in the longest war. The war isn't coming home to most Americans. We (OCC) are a civilian organization that shows we didn't forget these men and women."

Sierpowski, who was also once blown out the truck and suffered head trauma and back injuries, experienced that isolation when he came home.

"I joined the VFW and even those guys didn't understand I had been in the same kind of combat they were in during World War II and Vietnam," Sierpowski said.

But it was Jack Kane of the Nutley Post 493 who got Sierpowski to finally admit he "wasn't right" just a few years ago.

In the decade after his honorable discharge in 2004, Sierpowski became an aircraft technician and got a college degree. He was steadily employed and promoted at two different aircraft companies, working on sophisticated software that keeps planes in the air.

But, as he said, "there was a bottom to every bottom."

Vivid nightmares, panic attacks, hyper-vigilance, fear of being in public, jumpiness at loud noises and the fogginess of mood altering drugs and pain killers prescribed by the VA undermined his success.

He can no longer work. The VA ruled him 100 percent disabled but, in another twist of bureaucratic entanglement, Social Security has denied him disability benefits, so he is living on a pittance.

Thank you for your service. Thank you for your sacrifice.

Pasquale and OCC stepped in, and like he has for so many others, the lawyer helped Sierpowski navigate the arcane government paperwork.

"We've won every case and got these men and women the benefits and pensions they deserve," Pasquale said. "After what they've sacrificed - their physical and mental health, their limbs and livelihoods -- it's the least we could do."

Mark Di Ionno may be reached at mdiionno@starledger.com. Follow The Star-Ledger on Twitter @StarLedger and find us on Facebook.

The ice cream company's co-founders are backing Sanders over Hillary Clinton in the Democratic primary battle.

Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield -- aka Ben & Jerry, of gourmet ice cream fame -- are scheduled to be in Jersey City and two other New Jersey locations tomorrow to stump for presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders and give away free ice cream.

The duo has been campaigning for Sanders, who is seeking the Democratic nomination for president against Hillary Clinton, the former secretary of state and current Democratic front-runner.

The Sanders campaign says Cohen and Greenfield will sign up new voters and have mail-in ballots available for Democrats who are already registered to vote in next month's primary.

Ben & Jerry's was founded in Vermont, which Sanders represents in the U.S. Senate. Earlier this year, the ice cream company's co-founders unveiled a flavor called Bernie's Yearning in honor of their presidential pick (plain mint ice cream with a topping of solid chocolate).

Tomorrow's event will be at Zeppelin Hall, 88 Liberty View Dr., from 6:30 to 8 p.m.

They will make two other stops in the state earlier in the day: at NJIT in Newark at noon and Rutgers University in New Brunswick at 3 p.m.

New Jersey's primary is Tuesday, June 7. Recent polls show New Jersey Democrats prefer Clinton to Sanders by an increasingly small margin. Hudson County's leading Democrats announced on April 4 they support Clinton.

Terrence T. McDonald may be reached at tmcdonald@jjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @terrencemcd. Find The Jersey Journal on Facebook.

The 26-year-old was found unresponsive on Isabella Avenue.

NEWARK -- Police identified the man killed in a shooting Saturday night on Isabella Avenue as Taquan Boston, 26.

Newark Police responded to reported shots fired in the residential neighborhood at about 8:40 p.m.

They found Boston, a Newark resident, unresponsive with gunshot wounds, Essex County Chief Assistant Prosecutor Thomas S. Fennelly said in press release. Boston was pronounced dead at the scene at 8:56 p.m.

The Essex County Prosecutor's Major Crimes Task Force is investigating.

Boston was killed the day after a 20-year-old Newark man was fatally shot on North Munn Avenue. The deaths bring the number of homicides in Newark this year to 27.

Myles Ma may be reached at mma@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MylesMaNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

A man was killed after being hit by gunfire on Van Ness Place just before 3 p.m., according to county prosecutors

One person is dead after a shooting in Newark's South Ward Sunday afternoon, according to authorities. (Star-Ledger file photo)

NEWARK — A man is dead after a shooting in the city's South Ward Sunday afternoon, authorities confirmed.

The unidentified victim was struck after shots rang out on Van Ness Place around 2:45 p.m., according to Thomas S. Fennelly, a chief assistant prosecutor with the Essex County Prosecutor's Office.

An investigation by the office's Major Crimes and Homicide Task Force is underway.

No arrests have been announced, and authorities have not released information on any potential motive or suspects.

The slaying is the second in the last 24 hours in Newark. On Saturday, 26-year-old Taquan Boston was gunned down in the city's Lower Vailsburg section.

George R. Allen III was found shot inside a vehicle outside 48 Van Ness Place around 2:30 p.m. Sunday

NEWARK - The man killed in the city's South Ward Sunday afternoon has been identified as a Montclair resident.

George R. Allen III, 42, was found suffering from a gunshot wound inside a vehicle in the area of 48 Van Ness Place around 2:30 p.m., Acting Essex County Prosecutor Carolyn A. Murray and Newark Public Safety Director Anthony Ambrose said in a joint statement.

Allen was rushed to University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at approximately 3:15 p.m., they said.

No arrests have been made in the slaying, though an investigation by the prosecutor's office's Major Crimes and Homicide Task Force remains active.

Dan Ivers may be reached at divers@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @DanIversNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

East Orange was in water turmoil three years ago, but local officials say they were able to fix the issues without causing a national crisis. Watch video

EAST ORANGE -- Three years ago, before the country focused on Flint, Michigan for a water crisis that exposed thousands of children to elevated levels of lead, a New Jersey city was making headlines for a water catastrophe of its own.

Two water officials in East Orange were indicted on charges that they knowingly hid elevated levels of toxins in the city's water supply. The state Department of Environmental Protection intervened to control and monitor a remediation of the water supply. About 80,000 people were exposed to elevated levels of an industrial solvent that has been linked to potential cancer risks.

Rebuilding East Orange, a city of 700 vacant properties

But, leaders of the 153-year-old city say they were able to avoid becoming the next Flint, thanks to the foresight of East Orange's founders, and a healthy influx of funding to overhaul its water system. Since 2014, the city has spent about $15 million on capital projects to improve its water system, and is planning another $22 million worth of renovations in the coming years. The fixes, Public Works Director Christopher Coke said, were able to happen swiftly and effectively, because of the century-old water system in place.

SETTING THE STAGE

The story of East Orange's water supply, Coke said, is as old as the city itself. The city is one of the few in the state, he said, to own and control its own wells, which are located in nearby Short Hills and Florham Park. The town's founders purchased the land and set up the independent system around when the town was founded in 1909.

"These guys were really innovative and forward thinking," Coke said, noting that the fixes being made now are possible because the town owns its own water supply. "We're not dependent on anyone else for water."

The system suffered a staggering setback in 2013, when elevated levels of the chemical solvent tetrachloroethene were found in the water, and top city officials admitted to falsifying test results that made the water appear safe to drink.

Much of the fallout from the East Orange water crisis fell into the lap of the then newly-elected Mayor Lester Taylor in 2014. The mayor replaced most members of the East Orange Water Commission.

The commission's former assistant executive director William Mowell was sentenced to three years in jail after pleading guilty to charges relating to a scheme to hide the water contamination, and the city settled a lawsuit with an employee who claimed he was ordered to carry the scheme out. With the city's eyes now on continuing improvements, "that chapter is closed," Coke said this week.

ROAD TO RECOVERY

In the wake of the scandal, the city was required to enter into an Administrative Consent Order with the state Department of Environmental Protection, which now monitors the city's water quality and system renovation progress on a quarterly basis.

"They are in compliance," DEP spokesman Bob Considine said last week.

"Sampling continues on a weekly or more frequent basis and the running annual average for the contaminant of concern, tetrachloroethylene, remains below the maximum contaminant level."

As part of the agreement, an interim operation, which includes the city supplementing its supply with water purchased from Newark, was put in place while East Orange rehabbed its own system, officials said.

Construction happening now includes the installation of airstrippers, which remove volatile organic contaminants from the water supply, and complete well rehabilitation.

After this phase is completed at the end of this year, the water commission will request the city council bond another $22 million for additional work, including new piping, measures that will make water delivery more efficient, and the addition of an emergency generator that could run the system in the event of a prolonged power outage.

The scandal, officials said, served as a wake up call that they acted upon quickly.

"Since I took office in 2014, the East Orange Water Commission has made a substantial financial investment to improve and modernize our aging water infrastructure," Taylor said, calling the city's management of the rehabilitation "aggressive."

The renovation may also increase the capacity of the system, Coke said, from its current level, which carries about 10.3 million gallons of water per day. The city has a contract in place through the end of the year to supply water to its neighbor, South Orange. After that expires, the capacity increase could allow the city to sell water to other municipalities, officials said.

Some of the improvements being made, the second round of which should be done by 2020, were mandatory, Coke said. But, some were voluntary.

"We stepped up," he said. "We have more testing; we stepped up our level of employee training. ... Inaction is what caused a lot of the (past) issues."

WHAT ABOUT LEAD?

Flint is not the only city that has reignited national attention on lead. In March, East Orange's neighbor, Newark, reported that thousands of children in the state's largest district were being exposed to elevated levels of lead at school. The revelation prompted East Orange officials to work with the city's school district to run its own tests.

Samples taken from all 22 public schools, the district administration building, the city's water supply, and the supplemental water purchased from Newark, reported results below the federal safe levels of lead and other contaminants, officials said.

The district will continue to work with the city to monitor levels, and address any issues that arise, officials said.

"My board colleagues, the administration, and I are very happy with the positive outcome," East Orange Board Of Education President Bergson Leneus said in a statement.

"However, we will not rest on our laurels. We are committed to being proactive and strictly monitoring these potential issues in order to safeguard our children, staff and families." 

Jessica Mazzola may be reached at jmazzola@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @JessMazzola. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

The 28-year-old grew up in West Orange. Watch video

WEST ORANGE -- The oft-repeated line "I'm not throwing away my shot," and the widely praised multi-ethnic casting in the Pulitzer-winning musical "Hamilton" both somewhat reflect the upbringing of Okieriete Onaodowan. 

Okieriete Onaodowan, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Daveed Diggs and Anthony Ramos in "Hamilton." (Photo by Joan Marcus) 

The actor, who plays Hercules Mulligan and James Madison in the ground-breaking hip-hop musical "Hamilton," attended West Orange High School, a school with one of the state's most diverse student bodies. The 28-year-old is the son of Nigerian immigrants, who initially wanted him to be something "stable" like a doctor, he said. But he didn't like doing school work and sometimes got suspended.

Onaodowan said this and more as he spoke to drama and music students at his former high school for more than two hours on Friday, giving frank advice about life, acting and his path to Broadway, while encouraging the students to do what they love. He patiently answered the questions raised by dozens of students whose hands shot into the air once his talk finished.

'Hamilton' a hit with N.J. duel descendants 

"I hated high school," he said, making the students laugh. "It's important to think about something you enjoy doing...For me, here, it was always theatre."

After a football injury his freshman year, Onaodowan embraced music and step club, which was led by music teacher Bill Farley. After high school, he became very focused on acting, sometimes working "three or four" day jobs while he was doing shows, he said.

Returning to West Orange provided him with an interesting opportunity to reflect on his path, he said. 

"As you get older, you grow and you revaluate," he said. "(This) was an opportunity to talk to the students and inspire them the way that I was inspired... High school's tough."

Onaodowan grew up in West Orange with his parents and five sisters, and attended Gregory Elementary School, Roosevelt Middle School, and West Orange High School, graduating in 2005, school officials said. He was a member of the high school Thespian Troupe, worked as a stagehand, and performed in several productions. He also was a member of the Jubilee Choir directed by Farley, officials said.

I had the honor of going back to my highschool, WestOrange High. I spoke and connected with beautiful hearts and minds. I am #Inspired. #wohs #newjersey #redemption #MynameisOak #ActionsareLouder #hamsfriends #KatyPerry #PassThatTorch

A photo posted by TheIncredibleOak (@oaksmash) on Apr 29, 2016 at 11:50am PDT

On Friday, Onaodowan embraced Farley. In between some jokes and light-hearted moments, he told the students that if acting hadn't worked out, he would have become a teacher.

Afterward, Farley said he was surprised by Onaodowan's statement about teaching. The two of them "developed a bond" when Onaodowan was in high school, Farley said.

"I knew eventually he'd be where he is right now," he said. "I was very impressed with him today. He inspired a lot of kids."

Onaodowan, who would be performing in his show Friday night, said he didn't know what impact "Hamilton" might have had on him as a kid. Farley, a 25-year music educator, said that the musical, which is about Alexander Hamilton but is set to modern-day music, has spoken to the kids because "they understand it."

Among the excited fans of the show were West Orange High School choir students Gabrielle Florendo, 15, and Brandon Morrison, 14.

"We love Hamilton!" said Florendo. "It's just very different. It's a different sound than what I'm used to."

Laura Herzog may be reached at lherzog@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @LauraHerzogL. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

The man was pronounced dead Monday morning. Watch video

UPDATE: 23-year-old student killed at NJIT frat IDed

NEWARK -- A man shot and killed in a fraternity house early Monday was an NJIT student, authorities said.

Rutgers University Police said in an email to students that the man was shot at an off-campus house. The Rutgers-Newark campus is just across the street from NJIT on Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard.

The student was shot at about 3:22 a.m., Essex County Chief Assistant Prosecutor Thomas S. Fennelly said. The man was shot at a Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity house on the 300 block of Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard, just north of the NJIT campus.

The man was pronounced dead at 5:02 a.m. at University Hospital, Fennelly said. He was later identified as Joseph Micalizzi, 23.

The student was killed in a robbery, NJIT president Joel Bloom said in a statement. There was no threat to the campus, he said.

The school is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading the successful prosecution of whomever killed the student.

"This is a tragic time for the student's family, friends and the entire NJIT campus and we extend our thoughts and prayers to all affected," Bloom said.

A woman who lives down the street from the fraternity house told NJ Advance Media she was good friends with the slain student. The woman, who was visibly distraught and did not wish to be identified, said she was studying with the student into the early hours Monday before he left to go to a local convenience store.

The student's fraternity brothers told her a man followed the student back from the store and shot him in the fraternity house.

Paris Hall, a Rutgers-Newark student, lives a block away from the Tau Kappa Epsilon house during the school year. Hall, who is a member of the Alpha Phi Delta fraternity at Rutgers, said he and his fraternity brothers strive to keep drug activity out of their house.

He and his brothers discussed security concerns at the very beginning of the school year.

"The first thing we talked about was getting a new door and new cameras and then this happens," Hall said. "It's crazy."

Melvin Goldsmith, a student at Essex County Community College, just a few blocks east of the fraternity house, said he avoided taking night classes for safety reasons. He said he was shocked that the shooting had taken place so close to the colleges, "but it's in Newark."

Investigators were going in and out of the three-story brick fraternity house Monday morning.

Police have closed Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard between Central Avenue and New Street, Newark Police Capt. Derek Glenn said. Parts of Bleeker and Summit streets are also closed. Rutgers University-Newark issued a statement saying the closures would last until 10 a.m.

Myles Ma may be reached at mma@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MylesMaNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

The Paper Mill Playhouse, founded in 1938, has been investing in new works in recent years, including 'The Bandstand,' 'A Bronx Tale,' and 'Newsies'

Millburn's Paper Mill Playhouse has won the Regional Theatre Tony Award, the most prestigious distinction that can be given to the off-est of off-Broadway houses. 

The Paper Mill, which, after a financial crisis that required a bailout by the town in 2008, has expanded its focus from crowd-pleasing revivals to acting as an incubator for new works.

The current season saw the world premiere of the musical "The Bronx Tale," co-directed by Robert DeNiro, and that of "The Bandstand," directed and choreographed by "Hamilton" choreographer Andy Blankenbuehler, which is moving to Broadway next season. "Newsies," which debuted at the Paper Mill in 2011, played on Broadway for more than two years and earned two Tonys. 

"I think it's really a recognition of the redefinition of the theater since the crisis," says Mark S. Hoebee, the producing artistic director. "It certainly for us is very humbling and just overwhelming. I think what it does hopefully is legitimize the kind of work we've been doing all along, trying to be the best, most forthright, hospitable hosts that we can be." 

Hoebee, who runs the theater with managing director Todd Schmidt, will be at the Tony Awards to accept the honor. A former Broadway performer, this will be Hoebee's first Tonys appearance. "I'm crying already," he says. "I've got tears in my eyes already."

The Paper Mill, founded in 1938, is the third New Jersey theater to win the award, after Princeton's McCarter Theatre in 1994 and New Brunswick's Crossroads Theatre in 1999. The award is made on the recommendation of the American Theatre Critics Association. 

"We are ecstatic to recognize their dynamic role in the tri-state area theatre community and unwavering commitment to fostering future Broadway audiences," Charlotte St. Martin, president of the Broadway League, and Heather Hitchens, the president of the American Theatre Wing, say in a statement.

The Tony Awards will be broadcast live from the Beacon Theatre June 12. Nominations will be announced Tuesday.

Vicki Hyman may be reached at vhyman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @vickihy or like her on Facebook. Find NJ.com/Entertainment on Facebook, and check out TV Hangover, the podcast from Vicki Hyman and co-host Erin Medley on iTunes, Stitcher or listen here. 

Dwayne Warren, Kerry Coley and Janice Morrell will face off Wednesday night at the city's YWCA

ORANGE - A trio of mayoral candidates will face off in a final debate on Wednesday, less than a week before voters head to the polls.

Dwayne Warren, Kerry Coley and Janice Morrell have all confirmed they will take part from 7 to 9 p.m. at the city's YWCA, according to organizers. Jonathan Alston, co-host of the "All Politics Are Local" show on WRNU radio, will serve as moderater.

The debate will help cap a heated campaign season, as East Ward Councilman Coley and relative political newcomer Morrell seek to deny Warren a second term as mayor.

Warren began attacking Coley in July 2015, calling him a misogynist for allegedly sharing an explicit video via his personal Facebook page. Coley claimed he was hacked and called Warren's attacks little more than dirty politics.

Councilman, political newcomer hoping to unseat mayor in Orange

Since the campaign began in earnest earlier this year, Warren has faced attacks over his 2013 endorsement of Gov. Chris Christie and ties to Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo. Meanwhile, a political action committee tied to the mayor has continued to raise issues over the Facebook video and internal affairs complaints against Coley during his tenure as a city police officer, according to Politico.

Last month, Coley filed a lawsuit over the allegations he shared the explicit video.

Morrell, a retired talent and admissions officer at Rutgers University who has held a longtime seat on the city's Zoning Board of Adjustment, has largely steered clear of any direct attacks. Last month, a spokesman for her campaign denied to PolitickerNJ that she was behind an anti-Coley flier that purported to show Councilwoman Donna Williams sleeping on the job.

Warren may have scored a late boost from one of the area's largest labor groups last week, when he appeared along Communications Workers of America representatives at a press conference outlining an ordinance that would regulate Uber and other mobile car-hailing services.

Voters are set to decide which candidate will earn a four-year term on May 10.

Dan Ivers may be reached at divers@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @DanIversNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

In her lawsuit, the former Horizon executive says the company routinely denied claims on the premise that most customers wouldn't bother to appeal.

As part of a civil lawsuit alleging wage discrimination, a long-time Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield executive who left the company last year alleges the insurance giant "knowingly and systematically" underpaid claims.

Kim Dans, 50, of Farmingdale, alleges the company "turned a blind eye" to the practice because it knew few members would contest the underpayments.

Dans worked for the company for more than two decades rising through the ranks until a pay dispute and concerns about accounting problems put her at odds with her supervisor, according to the lawsuit.

According to the lawsuit, Dans she witnessed several violations of state regulations, including:

• The company refused to correct a computer programming error that led to the chronic underpayment of claims.
• The company routinely denied two types of patient claims - those for emergency care and those involving a pre-existing condition - on the premise that only a fraction of customers would fight the denial.
• The company was alerted about upcoming state audits.

The Newark-based insurer of 3.8 million New Jerseyans vigorously denied the accusations.

"Horizon is the largest, most scrutinized and most regulated health insurer in New Jersey with a national reputation for excellence," a spokesman said. "Unfortunately, we are sometimes sued by individuals who make dramatic accusations hoping to extract a settlement. The unsubstantiated allegations made here simply have no merit."

The lawsuit, filed in Superior Court in Essex County last month, details a career at Horizon that began in 1987. She proceeded up the corporate ladder until she was promoted to Senior Director of the Service Division, according to the lawsuit.

When she complained she was paid less than her predecessor, she says someone from Human Resources told her, "In this culture, women do not talk about salaries," according to the lawsuit.

Dans said her supervisor was "livid" after she reported the alleged problems to management, and said she was advised by Human Resources to "hide in the Wall office" and to "stay under the radar," according to the lawsuit.

Friction between her and her supervisor continued, according to the lawsuit, with her supervisor eventually telling her, "You're dead to me."

Dans resigned a year ago, and claims she was "constructively discharged," a legal term indicating she left the job because treatment of her was intolerable.

Employment law expert David Zatuchni, of Zatuchni & Associates, Lambertville, said in order for an employee to walk away from a job and still seek damages for discriminatory treatment, the employee must prove "a reasonable person could not tolerate working in these conditions." A judge or jury would determine if that standard had been met, based on each case's facts.

"It is a high standard, and it's meant to be a high standard," he said. "You can't just up and quit because you're not happy about how you're being treated," and still seek damages.

Horizon enrolls 234K in OMNIA plans

Although nothing in Dans' lawsuit indicates she told state regulators about her concerns, New Jersey's law protecting "whistle-blowers" does not require an employee to alert anyone outside the company about concerns, Zatuchni said. 

Dans is seeking money for damages to her reputation and earnings. The insurance company has not yet filed its legal response to the suit.

The N.J. Division of Banking and Insurance, the agency responsible for overseeing insurance companies, did not respond to an inquiry about Dans' claim that Horizon was given advanced knowledge of upcoming audits.

Kathleen O'Brien may be reached at kobrien@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @OBrienLedger. Find NJ.com on Facebook. 

The student was shot early Monday morning. Watch video

NEWARK -- The Essex County Prosecutor's Office identified the NJIT student shot and killed Monday morning in a fraternity house as a Freehold man.

Joseph Micalizzi was 23.

Micalizzi was shot at about 3:22 a.m. in the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity house on the 300 block of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard, the prosecutor's office said. He was pronounced dead at 5:02 a.m. at University Hospital.

Micalizzi was a junior studying mechanical engineering. He transferred to NJIT from Brookdale Community College. He lived at the fraternity house during the school year.

Police have not made any arrests and or identified any suspects.

NJIT is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in the shooting. The Essex County Sheriff's Office is offering another $10,000 on top of that.

"This is a tragic time for the student's family, friends and the entire NJIT campus and we extend our thoughts and prayers to all affected," NJIT President Joel Bloom said.

About a dozen cars were parked Monday afternoon in front of the Micalizzi home in Freehold. Friends and family members hugged outside. They declined to comment.

Diane McCool, a neighbor, knew Micalizzi.

"He's a good boy," she said. "He works hard. This is just a horrible tragedy."

In Newark, a woman living down the street from the fraternity house said she was good friends with Micalizzi. She did not want to be identified.

The two of them were studying until early Monday when he left to go to a local convenience store, she said. Micalizzi's fraternity brothers said someone followed him back from the store and shot him in the fraternity house.

Micalizzi was one of 30 current NJIT students who belonged to the TKE chapter, said Alex Baker, chief information officer for at the fraternity national headquarters in Indianapolis, In. 

Baker said the fraternity is still seeking details about the shooting.

"We are saddened to hear about the shooting of a member of Tau Kappa Epsilon that happened at NJIT. Our thoughts and prayers are with the member's friends and family," Baker said in a statement.

"We are still working to learn the details of what occurred and both the men at the Kappa-Eta chapter and International Headquarters will fully cooperate with the police investigation," he said.

TKE opened its chapter at the Newark school in 1965, Baker said. He said it is one of more than 10 chapters the fraternity has in New Jersey.

Anyone with information can call the Essex County Prosecutor's Office tips line at (877) 847-7432.

Micalizzi's death comes weeks after the shooting death of Rutgers-Newark student Shani Patel, just a few blocks from campus. Authorities believe Patel, 21, may have been a target of a drug-related robbery.

Myles Ma may be reached at mma@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MylesMaNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Tom Haydon, Steve Strunsky and Alex Napoliello of NJ Advance Media contributed to this report.

The winning school will have their prom pics featured on NJ.com.

Welcome to New Jersey Prom Season 2016. Students at high schools from Cape May to High Point are gearing up for their big night, and NJ.com will be there to share in all the tuxes, gowns, limos and fun this season. You can always find the latest prom photos on our prom page.

Add njdotcom 

Ramsey, South Hunterdon and Salem already kicked off the season, but this is the first big week of lots of New Jersey proms. Only one prom can be Prom of the Week and have its photos featured on NJ.com. Pick the prom by voting in the poll below.

Prom of the Week voting closes at 1 p.m. Thursday, so tweet this link so your school will get the most votes. We'll announce Prom of the Week Thursday afternoon via Snapchat, so add njdotcom to get the announcement.

John Shabe can be reached via jshabe@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter, and find NJ.com on Facebook.

Troy Ruff is charged with aggravated manslaughter, vehicular homicide and related offenses

NEWARK -- A Newark man pleaded not guilty on Monday to charges of striking and killing a 3-year-old boy in September during a chase with city police.

Troy Ruff, 22, entered the plea through his attorney when he was arraigned before Superior Court Judge Ronald Wigler in connection with the Sept. 11 crash that killed Rahmere Tullis.

Ruff was indicted on April 1 on aggravated manslaughter, vehicular homicide and related offenses. He remains in custody at the Essex County Correctional Facility in lieu of posting $500,000 bail.

During Monday's brief hearing, Ruff's attorney, Angela Guidetta, indicated she needs to review the evidence in the case before pursuing any motions.

Ruff is scheduled to return to court on June 20.

The crash occurred at about 7:40 a.m. when officers from the Newark Police Department's Fugitive Apprehension Team were attempting to apprehend Ruff on aggravated assault and weapons charges stemming from an incident in May, authorities said.

After officers spotted Ruff driving a 2002 Hyundai Sonata, they tried to pull him over, but Ruff continued driving, authorities said.

Authorities said Ruff struck a car that was driving on 15th Avenue and then mounted a curb near the intersection with 7th Street, where he crashed into Rahmere as he was standing on the sidewalk with his mother.

Ruff was immediately arrested, authorities said. Rahmere was pronounced dead at the scene, authorities said.

As the incident sent shock waves throughout the Newark community, one family friend described Rahmere as "a gift."

"He was an adorable child, he touched everyone's heart," said the friend, Latayna Wright, during a Sept. 13 vigil at the intersection where Rahmere was killed.

Newark Mayor Ras Baraka called the crash "a crime against humanity."

"This tragedy touches us on so many levels and the loss of young Rahmere is felt in our homes, our neighborhoods, our communities and throughout Newark," Baraka said in a statement at the time. "The way in which his life was taken is not just a crime against the laws of the land but a crime against humanity."

Bill Wichert may be reached at bwichert@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @BillWichertNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Newark residents turned out in droves to protest what they say are unfair hiring practices by longshoremen unions. Watch video

NEWARK -- Nathaniel James says he has applied to work at the Port Newark-Elizabeth Marine Terminal 10 or 15 times.

Each time, he said, the longshoremen unions tell him they'll call, but they never do. 

James said he's qualified for the job, with 20 years of truck driving and construction experience under his belt. He thinks the unions are purposely avoiding hiring black Newark residents. 

"If it ain't the color of my skin, what is it?" he asked. 

A few hundred Newark residents and officials turned out at the port Monday to protest what they say are discriminatory hiring practices by International Longshoremen's Locals 1 and 1804-1, which represent checkers and mechanics, respectively.

Holding signs reading "#occupytheport" and "Newark Port, give our city work," the protesters marched down the street to call attention to the disproportionately low numbers of black, female and local workers at the port just east of Newark Liberty International Airport. 

Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka last month wrote to the U.S. Department of Labor to ask for an investigation into the hiring practices of both of the port's unions. He also asked the U.S. Attorney General to determine whether civil rights laws had been broken. 

Newark and Elizabeth have a combined black and Hispanic population of 77 percent, he wrote. International Longshoremen's Locals 1 and 1804-1, however, have less than 6 percent black members and fewer than 13 percent Hispanic members, according to Baraka. He said Local 1804-1 completely lacks women.

Baraka also alleged the unions are biased against hiring local workers. Only about 6.3 percent of the port's 3,299 registered longshore workers live in Newark, Baraka said, citing a report from 2015.

On Monday, Baraka called on the International Longshoremen's Association [ILA], the Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor and the New York Shipping Association to help "desegregate" Port Newark-Elizabeth.

He told the crowd the longshoremen unions were turning away qualified Newark residents because of their race. 

"The only requirement they didn't pass is the fact that they were black, that they live in Newark and they weren't related to people in the ILA," Baraka said.

His mission, he said, was simple: "I want people from Newark to be able to fill out an application and get a job. That's it." 

An ILA spokesman sent NJ Advance Media a copy of a letter from union president Harold Daggett to federal labor secretary Thomas Perez. In the March 22 correspondence, Daggett says Baraka came to "self-serving and falsely-drawn conclusions ... based on contradictory and manipulated data."

Daggett wrote that contrary to Baraka's allegations, Local 1 is made up of 13.4 percent female members, and 44 percent of Local 1804-1's members are Hispanic. 

A representative for the Waterfront Commission did not immediately respond to phone calls. A spokeswoman for New York Shipping Association declined to comment. 

MORE ESSEX COUNTY NEWS

Marisa Iati may be reached at miati@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @Marisa_Iati. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Nariq Peeks and Jessie McNeil are charged in the July 16 fatal shooting of Qua-Shawn Chaney

NEWARK -- A 17-year-old Newark teenager and his alleged accomplice pleaded not guilty on Monday to charges of fatally shooting his mother's boyfriend on a city street last summer.

Nariq Peeks and Jessie McNeil, 23, also of Newark, entered the pleas through their attorneys when they were arraigned separately before Superior Court Judge Ronald Wigler in connection with the July 16 killing of 32-year-old city resident Qua-Shawn Chaney.

Peeks is accused of shooting Chaney after receiving the gun from McNeil, authorities said. The incident allegedly occurred about two weeks before Peeks's 17th birthday, and he has been waived up to adult court.

Peeks and McNeil were indicted on March 31 on charges of conspiracy to commit murder, murder, unlawful possession of a weapon and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose. Peeks also was charged with aggravated assault for allegedly injuring a woman during the shooting.

Peeks and McNeil, both of whom remain in custody, are scheduled to return to court on June 13.

On the day of the shooting, Peeks and McNeil were walking on Clinton Place with other people, including Tiffany Canary, when they encountered Chaney walking his dog, according to Katherine Carter, spokeswoman for the Essex County Prosecutor's Office. At the time, Chaney was involved in an ongoing relationship with Peeks's mother, Carter said.

When Chaney started walking with the group, McNeil lagged behind, stopped and reached into his backpack for the gun, Carter said. After retrieving the weapon, McNeil caught up to the group, which had continued to walk down Clinton Place, Carter said.

While an altercation unfolded between Peeks and Chaney, McNeil handed the gun to Peeks and Peeks used the weapon to shoot Chaney, Carter said. As Peeks fired the weapon, one of the shots went errant and grazed Canary on her head, Carter said.

A juvenile - who then took the gun from Peeks and placed it into a backpack - was charged with weapons offenses and his case was disposed of in juvenile court, according to Carter.

Bill Wichert may be reached at bwichert@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @BillWichertNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.