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Baseball: Results and links from state semifinals and Non-Public sectional finals, Tues., June 7

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A look at Tuesday's results and links from the Group semifinals.

A look at Tuesday's results and links from the Group semifinals.


Man admits taking $250K from Head Start; bought Maserati, mink coat

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Robert Mays admitted fraudulently jacking up his salary 61 percent and using agency funds to buy a Maserati and a fur coat.

NEWARK -- The former executive director of a former Head Start program in Jersey City Tuesday admitted that he diverted more than $250,000 from programs for underprivileged children and used the money for personal expenses, including a Maserati and a mink coat, prosecutors said.

Robert E. Mays, 38, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Susan D. Wigenton in federal court to one count of wire fraud. 

-899f0ac2ca866a73.jpgRobert E. Mays (Jersey Journal file photo)  

According to court papers charging him, Mays in 2013 forged records and duped employees at the Jersey City Child Development Centers into believing that its board of directors had raised his salary 61 percent to $155,000 after acting as executive director for only two months. 

Mays was fired in May of 2014, after the board learned of the salary boost, court records say.

Mays also admitted that he withdrew cash from the agency's account in part to pay for the 2007 Maserati, which would have cost more than $100,000 on the market at the time. 

Linden man admits overcharging agencies

In addition, Mays billed the agency for repairs to the Maserati, taking steps to cover up the billing by making it appear as if the work was done on a Toyota Sienna owed by the centers.

By admitting guilt, Mays will be required to forfeit $257,418 in cash, title to the 2007 gray four-door Maserati Quattroporte and ownership of a "Bleached Whiskey Stroller Skin-On-Skin (Fendi Style) mink fur coat," court papers say.

The wire fraud count to which Mays pleaded guilty carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of twice the agency's loss and full restitution. He is scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 20.

U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman credited special agents with the FBI and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office, with the investigation.

Tim Darragh may be reached at tdarragh@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @timdarragh. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

N.J. primary elections 2016: Essex County

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See the preliminary results of local primary elections.

ESSEX COUNTY -- New Jersey residents took to the polls Tuesday to choose the candidates who will run in November's general election.

Check out the preliminary results of the races in Essex County below, as reported by the county clerk.

Please be sure to refresh. Results will be updated throughout the evening.

Essex County

Surrogate

One five-year term 

(With 525 of 550 districts reporting)

Theodore N. Stevens, II (D) -- 55,986 votes

Trevor Phillips, Jr. (D) -- 16,279 votes

John J. Piserchia (R) -- 9,930 votes

Bloomfield

Mayor

One three-year term

 Michael Venezia (D) -- 4,588 votes

Joseph Lopez (D) -- 2,166 votes

David G. Tucker (R) -- 1,021 votes

Township Council

Three three-year terms

Wartyna Nina Davis (D) -- 4,145 votes

Theodore Ted Gamble (D) -- 4,098 votes

Carlos Pomares (D) -- 4,051 votes

Kathleen DeMarino (D) -- 1,781 votes

Jo Lewis (D) -- 1,769 votes

Yudi Sobharam (D) -- 1,655 votes

Stephen R. DiMarzo (D) -- 178 votes

Cira A. Spina, III (R) -- 1,035 votes

Caeser Mazzeo, Sr. (R) -- 1,026 votes

Hector A. Correa (R) -- 1,035 votes

Caldwell

Town Council

Two three-year terms

Stephen J. Flack (D) -- 610 votes

Henderson Cole (D) -- 617 votes

Thomas O'Donnell (R) -- 422 votes

Pasquale Capozzoli (R) -- 436 votes

Essex Fells

Borough Council

Two three-year terms

Gregory J. Hindy (R) -- 191 votes

Patricia H Wahl (R) -- 192 votes

Fairfield

Town Council

Two three-year terms 

Joseph Cifelli (R) -- 594 votes

Michael B. McGlynn (R) -- 537 votes

Glen Ridge

Borough Council

Two three-year terms

No candidates

Livingston

Township Council

Two four-year terms

Michael M. Silverman (D) -- 2,378 votes

Alfred M. Anthony (D) -- 2,322 votes

Maplewood

Township Committee

One three-year term

(With 20 of 21 districts reporting)

Frank E. McGehee (D) -- 4,238 votes

Michael Summersgill (R) -- 264 votes

Millburn

Township Committee

Two three-year terms

Dianne T. Eglow (D) -- 1,777 votes

Samuel D. Levy (D) -- 1,643 votes

W. Theodore Bourke (R) -- 715 votes

Ian J. Mount (R) -- 691 votes

North Caldwell

Borough Council

Two three-year terms

Joshua H. Raymond (R) -- 403 votes

Arthur J. Rees (R) -- 412 votes

Roseland

Borough Council

Two three-year terms

Christopher Bardi (D) -- 442 votes

David B. Jacobs (R) -- 447 votes

Richard N. Leonard (R) -- 450 votes

West Caldwell

Township Council

Two three-year terms

Joseph P. Cecere (R) -- 783 votes

Stephen P. Wolsky (R) -- 765 votes

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

 

Incumbent clinches one of N.J.'s only contested mayoral primaries

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Democratic Bloomfield Mayor Michael Venezia will face Republican challenger David Tucker in the November election.

BLOOMFIELD -- After a tumultuous election season set off by multiple township scandals over the past several months, incumbent Mayor Michael Venezia easily beat out challenger Councilman Joe Lopez for the Democratic bid to run for mayor.

Venezia and Lopez have been in a heated match-up that was one of only a handful of contested mayoral primaries across the state.

"I'm very proud, and happy to move forward," Venezia said in a phone interview after the polls closed Tuesday. "It was a huge victory."

According to unofficial results from the Essex County Clerk's Office, Venezia got nearly 68 percent of the about 6,700 Democratic primary votes cast in Bloomfield.

Venezia said since he did not face a primary opponent during his first run for office in 2013, his course of action moving forward will be a little bit different this time. His goal now, he said, is to unite the fractured party in the town.

"Our plan is to reach out to the people who ran with Councilman Lopez and invite them in," he said.

Lopez did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the results Tuesday night.

In November's general election, Venezia will face longtime resident and former Councilman David G. Tucker, who said Monday that he decided to run on the Republican ticket because he felt longtime Democratic leadership had led Bloomfield astray.

"The town has been run by Democrats for the past 16 years...I feel like the town needs to head in a different direction," he said.

But, Venezia said he plans to start working on a campaign to elect not only himself, but also Hilary Clinton - the presumptive Democratic candidate for president thanks to her victory in New Jersey Tuesday.

"We have to work to elect the first woman president of the United States," he said Tuesday.

See all of Essex County's primary election results here.

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

Newark hoops legend has courtside seats for Warriors' pursuit of NBA history

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Al Attles, a high school star in Newark, has been with the Warriors for a remarkable 56 years.

Al Attles had a much different plan for his life when he finished his college career at North Carolina A&T in 1960. He would return to the city where he was born, grab a whistle and clipboard, and become a middle-school basketball coach. 

He would make Newark his home again, and who knows, maybe he would stay forever. But an NBA team called the Philadelphia Warriors drafted him in the fifth round and, after a successful tryout, offered him a $5,500 contract -- that was for the entire season -- to play for a team with a pretty good center named Wilt Chamberlain on its roster.

He took the offer. Fifty-six years and one cross-country move later, Attles is still working for that team. He doesn't just know the history of the now Golden State Warriors. He is the history, cashing checks from the team for longer than 22 other current NBA franchise have even existed. Put it this way: Dwight D. Eisenhower was finishing out his second term when Attles donned the Warriors uniform for the first time. 

He was there for the good times, coaching the team to its first NBA title when his underdog Warriors stunned the Washington Bullets in 1975. He was there for the bad times, too, and there were plenty of years along the way when Golden State was the epicenter of NBA irrelevance.

Now, he is there for this current Golden State run, and this is something else entirely. Attles can only watch now at what the Warriors accomplishing with the same awe of everyone else who follows professional basketball. 

"Oh, I've been very, very happy," he said over the phone in a voice that makes James Earl Jones sound like a soprano. "When you've been with a team as long as I've been with them, you've seen the ups and downs. It's great to see the Warriors where they are now." 

The full Shaq: Remembering an epic prank

Attles -- once a coach, always a coach -- wasn't quite ready to talk about history just yet. He was willing to concede this: Steph Curry and Co. are in a good position as the NBA Finals moves to Cleveland tonight, and we will allow that understatement.

He wouldn't say it, but I can: This is thing is over. The Warriors are 87-14 this season. The Cavaliers need to win four out of the next five games now. Impossible? No, but unless LeBron James does something extraordinary in the coming days, certainly not very likely. 

Already, people around the NBA are debating where these Warriors belong in pantheon of great teams. Magic Johnson weighed in, insisting that his "Showtime" Lakers would have beaten them. Scottie Pippen did as well, predicting that his great 1996 Bulls team would have swept the Warriors in a playoff series. 

To both, and everyone else, I would respond like this: Can't we just sit back and enjoy what we're witnessing here? 

Attles certainly is. He had an inkling that the Warriors would be very good again this season after winning it all last spring. Who didn't? But a record 73 victories in the regular season? Erasing a 3-1 deficit in the Western Conference Finals against the Oklahoma Thunder? 

"You know they were coming off a very nice year last year and most of the players were still here," Attles said. "I knew they had a chance to be pretty good, but you never want to get too far ahead of yourself." 

Attles never did as a player, or for that matter, in life. The Weequahic High star was never the best player on the NBA court -- he had the distinction of being the team's second-leading scorer (with 17) the night Wilt scored 100 -- but he was always among the toughest. He became known as the "Destroyer" after accidentally breaking the jaw of an opponent. 

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Now 79, he has been a player, a player-coach, a full-time head coach, a general manager, a vice president, a consultant, and at one point even a part-owner with the franchise. He is now an ambassador, a fixture at home games and an active part of the team's community relations department.

"I joke with my wife, 'They haven't caught up with me yet!'" he said. "They've been very, very good to me and I feel like I owe them something. Anything I can do, I want to help because I appreciate the relationship here." 

He knows that, for many of the team's new fans, the team's history began when Curry started draining 3 pointers. But the older generation can still point to the 1975 championship banner in the rafters, not too far from Attles' retired No. 16, or just to the smiling Attles himself.

He has seen it all with the Warriors franchise, 56 years (and counting) worth of memories. Soon, as this team makes a special kind of history, he'll have a pretty good view from a parade float. 

Steve Politi may be reached at spoliti@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @StevePoliti. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

 

 

Missing Trenton teen may be in Georgia or Newark, cops say

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Sha-asia Santiago, 19, was last seen on May 11

TRENTON -- Trenton police are asking for the public's help in finding a missing 19-year-old girl.

Sha-asia SantiagoSha-asia Santiago, 19, may be in Georgia or with her boyfriend in Newark, police say (Courtesy of Trenton PD) 

Sha-asia Santiago was last seen on May 11 in the 1300 block of Liberty Street. She is 4-feet-5, about 105 pounds and has a tattoo of two hearts on the left side of her chest, police said.

Police believe that Santiago may have moved to Georgia or may be with her boyfriend "Mike," who lives in Newark.

Anyone with information about Santiago's whereabouts is asked to contact Trenton police at 609-989-4170 or Detective Porsche Ames at 609-989-4140.

 

Baseball state semifinals: Statement wins, upsets, surprises

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5 teams showed a little something extra in punching tickets to the finals

New special needs center will feel like an N.J. downtown

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LifeTown broke ground in Livingston.

LIVINGSTON -- A coffee shop, bookstore, doctor and dentist's offices, grocery store, clothing shop, florist, salon, Laundromat, pet shop, home goods store, and hobby shop.

It sounds like the makings of a pretty stellar New Jersey downtown area, and in many ways, that's exactly what it is. Only, the "LifeTown" development - which broke ground in Livingston Monday evening - will be all enclosed inside a 47,000 square foot state-of-the-art learning center.

The 11,000 square foot mini village inside the new facility is just part of what executives at the Friendship Circle say will be unlike any other in New Jersey.

"It's going to be an inclusive center," said LifeTown Executive Director Zalman Grossbaum.

It's about individuals with special needs interacting with the entire population...(and) the education process really goes both ways."

Grossbaum and his wife run the MetroWest New Jersey Chapter of the Friendship Circle, an international organization of nonprofits focused on creating programming, and job and life skills training for children and adults with autism and other special needs. The programs are run mostly by teen and adult volunteers, and hinge on the interactions between the diverse populations of people.

N.J.'s autism rates higher than ever

LifeTown, Grossbaum said, will build on the work the Friendship Circle has been doing since his chapter was opened in New Jersey in 2000. In addition to the town - all of which will be operational, run by volunteers and working as a real-world way to teach kids and adults life and job skills in actual settings - the building will feature rooms specifically designed to facilitate community interactions.

For example, the half court gym in the complex is not made of typical materials, as the echo created in usual gyms often prohibits kids with autism from participating in sports. This gym will be echo-less.

The facility's bowling alley will be stripped of the lights and loud music that often create a "sensory overload" for autistic kids, Grossbaum said. It will include a completely accessible playground, an indoor pool with accessible beach entry, and a theater that will put on productions tailored to autistic actors and audience members. 

Rooms in the complex, Grossbaum said, are specifically tailored to offer various types of therapies, but in real life settings. As an example, the tactile center is wrapped to look like the Jersey Shore, allowing users to feel sand, water, and other tangible sensations. The entire facility will be wired with technology that will allow it to electronically respond to children's individual learning plans, which outline their specific needs and learning styles.

Pointing to statistics about the number of special needs students in New Jersey and Essex County, Grossbaum said the unique center is in the perfect place.

"We are literally at the epicenter of the special needs world," he said. "We have a responsibility and an opportunity to do something transformative."

Construction, the Friendship Circle estimates, will take about a year to complete. The group has partnered with agencies throughout the state to create and operate it, and so far, has raised about $12 million of the $15 million it will take to build it, Grossbaum said.

LifeTown will be open as a resource to individuals, school groups, other nonprofits, therapy groups, and volunteers. When it is up and running, Grossbaum estimates the facility will be used by about 35,000 people a year.

After about a year planning all of the physical intricacies of the development, Chris Johnson of Hollister Construction - the company that will be building LifeTown - said Grossbaum's vision will be a game changer.

"I've never seen anyone with (Grossbaum's) emotion and sense of drive," he said. "At the end of the day, this is going to be all about changing kids' lives."

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

Softball: Semifinal stars and statement wins

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See the major highights of Tuesday's action

PSE&G electrician suffers 3rd degree burns at Newark airport

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A PSE&G electrician was injured this morning while working on a transformer at Newark Liberty International Airport.

Newark -- A 38-year-old PSE&G electrician was airlifted to a local hospital after suffering third degree burns while working this morning at Newark Liberty International Airport, a Port Authority Police Department spokesman said. 

The incident occurred about 10:20 a.m. while the man was "repairing or maintaining" a transformer at Term A's east location, department spokesman Joe Pentangelo said. 

The worker, who suffered third degree burns to his face, legs and chest, is alert and conscious, Pentangelo said. He was airlifted to Saint Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston

Pentangelo said operations at the airport were not interrupted by the incident.

Pending notification of his family, the man's name is not being released at this time, Pentangelo said.

PSE&G's media relations department had not been notified of the incident as of 1 p.m. Wednesday. An RWJBarnabas Health spokesperson could not be immediately reached. 

The incident is under investigation.

Luke Nozicka may be reached at lnozicka@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @lukenozicka. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

See which N.J. schools won the Paper Mill's 2016 Rising Star Awards

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Summit High School was the big winner this year, earning awards from New Jersey's prestigious theater

Paper Mill Playhouse announced the winners of its 2016 Rising Star Award for Excellence in High School Musical Theatre on Tuesday. Since their inception in 1996, the awards -- which are modeled after the Tony Awards -- have helped to launch the careers of many notable performers, all of whom attended high school in New Jersey, including Academy Award winner Anne Hathaway ("Les Miserables") and Tony Award winner Nikki M. James ("The Book of Mormon.")

The big winner this year: Summit High School, which took home five awards, including the prize for Outstanding Overall Production for "Mary Poppins." Claire Fitzpatrick, who played the title role  won the award for Outstanding Actress in a Leading Role, while Katherine Winter was recognized for Outstanding Costuming Achievement. The production's student director, Katherin Recio, and its costume crew took home the Student Achievement Award.

Academy of Holy Angels High School in Demarest took home three prizes for its production of "Children of Eden," including Outstanding Direction, Outstanding Music Direction and Outstanding Chorus.

"We are very excited to celebrate excellence in high school musical theater with the students of New Jersey," Paper Mill Playhouse's Producing Artistic Director Mark S. Hoebee said in a statement. "The prestigious honor of a Paper Mill Playhouse Rising Star nomination is the culmination of their hard work in a high school musical."

The award for Outstanding Actor in a Leading Role went to Fair Lawn High School's Trevor Braun for his portrayal of Charlie Chaplin in their production of "Chaplin the Musical."

A complete list of winners can be found on the playhouse's website.

Students who received final nominations in the lead and supporting acting categories received a scholarship to Paper Mill Playhouse's competitive Summer Musical Theatre Conservatory, a professional training program that, along with advanced classes in singing, acting and dance, offers the nominees an opportunity to perform onstage at Paper Mill Playhouse in the season finale concert, "New Voices of 2016: Everything Old is New Again!" on July 29 and 30.

Sydney Shaw may be reached at sshaw@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @ShawshankSyd. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

'Very good news' for taxpayers: Port Authority to pay $12M more to Newark

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Members of the Newark Regional Business Partnership were told during a Wednesday briefing by Baraka administration officials that higher lease payments from the Port Authority could mean no tax hike next year Watch video

NEWARK -- Newark property owners could be spared a tax hike in 2017 thanks to increased lease payments from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, city officials told a gathering of local business leaders on Wednesday.

"This new revenue the city will realize from the Port Authority could mitigate the need for a property tax increase," Newark Business Administrator Jack Kelly told members of the Newark Regional Business Partnership.

Kelly said the city had renegotiated annual lease payments with the agency from the current $85 million to $97 million next year, an increase of $12 million in city revenues that could offset increased expenditures and eliminate the need for a tax increase in 2017. Mayor Ras Baraka, who also attended the Wednesday morning business gathering, corroborated Kelly's assessment of the increased Port Authority payments in an interview afterward.

The Port Authority did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Members of the business group who attended the Wednesday briefing at the Robert Treat Hotel welcomed word of a potentially flat tax rate next year, which would follow a 3% tax hike under the proposed 2016 budget now being reviewed by the City Council, after and 9% tax hike in 2015

"That was very good news to hear," said attorney Frank Ferruggia of McCarter & English, a nationwide firm with offices in Newark, whose clients include city businesses filing tax appeals.
 
The Wednesday event, moderated NRBP President Chip Hallock, was Baraka's second time talking to business group, after an appearance last June. 

Taxes were hardly the only topic discussed, with Baraka, Kelly and other administration officials assuring business leaders that the city had launched a host of initiatives and was making progress in a wide range of areas: violent crime prevention, with a report this week by the Safer Newark Council intended to help combat both perceptions of crime and realities; efforts to place residents in port and other jobs in the city, and to boost airport workers wages; improvements and expansion of Triangle and Waterfront Parks; and a continuing development boom, after a century of neglect, along the city's Passaic River waterfront.

Even the city's embrace of a new ShopRite supermarket on Springfield Avenue was a sign, the mayor said, "that we're headed in the right direction."

Despite progress, officials said there was ample room for improvement:
an unemployment rate of 7.7%, well above the Essex County rate of 6.2 percent and statewide mark of 6.5%; just 17% percent of the population is college educated; only 3% percent of procurement money spent by Newark businesses, institutions and the city government itself is on Newark goods or services.   

Baraka urged business leaders to hire Newark workers and purchase Newark products.

"Newark is a great place, despite how they paint us," Baraka told business leaders, reiterating a theme that perceptions of Newark do not reflect the reality. "You are in the right place at the right time. If nobody ever told you that, I'm telling you that now."

Jack Klein hoped it was true. Klein is vice president for sales and marketing at Universal Waste Solutions, a Philadelphia-based electronics recycling firm with a transfer station in Elizabeth, on Newark's southern border.

"Is it sugar-coated? God's honest answer is, I don't know," " Klein said after attending the briefing. "But let's presume for a moment that it is. There's a bright side to that, too. If it's sugar coated, it's because whoever's voicing that must feel that there's a chance of realizing to it."

"You also head them say that there's a ways to go, they didn't hide that," said Klein, a former Lehman Brothers executive who joined a Newark recycling company six years ago, before moving on to Universal. "I went to work in Newark for the first time in my life in 2010, and things are noticeably, visually better in every way today than the were then."

Steve Strunsky may be reached at sstrunsky@njadvanceme00dia.com. Follow him on Twitter @SteveStrunsky. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

7 charged after search reveals heroin, gun in Irvington, officials say

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Police target Nye Avenue building

IRVINGTON -- Police seized heroin and marijuana and arrested seven people in a raid at a residential building in the township, officials announced Tuesday.

The arrests came after the town police department's intelligence unit served a search warrant at the Nye Avenue building, according to Mayor Tony Vauss. The drugs were packaged for street-level distribution and police also seized a .22 caliber revolver and ammunition, officials said. 

"Cleaner and safer, that's what I promised the people of Irvington and that is what I am delivering with the great work of the men and women in the Irvington Police Department and throughout my Administration," Vauss said in a statement.

The seven people arrested face various weapons and drug charges, the mayor said.

14K heroin packets, guns seized in tow yard raid, sheriff says

Officials did not immediately release further details about the investigation. A mayor's office spokeswoman identified those arrested as Mustafa Evans, 37, of Irvington, Aubrey Mitchell, 57, of Irvington, Cedric Haywood, 25, of Irvington, Habeeb Blackstone, 25, of Newark, Gerri Oliver, 22, of Irvington, Aneudy Gutierrez, 32, of Maplewood and Anival Rivera, 55, of Irvington.

Township officials have touted declines in serious crime in Irvington, a township often known as among the state's most violent. The township has logged only one homicide six months into this year, according to police data. Irvington saw 14 homicides in all of 2015.

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

 

10 years for robber who forced man to withdraw cash from ATM, then stole it

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Citing a defendant's juvenile offense record, a judge sentenced a man to 19 years in prison for an armed robbery.

Screen Shot 2016-06-08 at 5.10.09 PM.pngEliah Hawkins, 19, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for the armed robbery of a man waiting at a bus stop. (Essex County Prosecutor's Office) 

NEWARK -- The two men first robbed the victim at gunpoint, stealing his wallet and fleeing. Then, when the robbers found a bank card, they went back to the victim and forced him to withdraw $320 from an ATM, authorities said.

On Wednesday, one of the robbers, 19-year-old Eliah Hawkins of Newark, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for the hold-up, Acting Essex County Prosecutor Carolyn Murray said.

Superior Court Judge Siobhan Teare imposed the sentence and ordered that under the No Early Release Act, Hawkins must serve at least 85 percent of the prison term before he is eligible for parole, said Essex County Assistant Prosecutor Magdalen Czykier.

Authorities said that on May 20, 2015, Hawkins and another man robbed a Newark Liberty International Airport employee as he was waiting at the bus stop.

The robbers took the man's wallet, Iphone, and other valuables, then fled, only to stop moments later and go through the wallet, discovering the card for an  Automatic Teller Machine, Czykier said.

Hawkins and the second man, who was never identified and never arrested, came back to the bus stop and took the victim at gunpoint to the Wells Fargo bank on Broad Street in Newark, where they forced him to withdraw $320 in cash, Czykier said.

East Orange police officers - who were assigned to prosecutor's Narcotics Task Force Unit - were riding in an unmarked car when they saw Hawkins holding the victim's shirt and giving him orders, authorities said.

They said the officers approached the scene and arrested Hawkins, but the second robber escaped.

Hawkins previously pleaded guilty to first-degree robbery and second-degree conspiracy, authorities said.

At the sentencing Wednesday, Teare denied the defense motion to sentence Hawkins a second-degree crime, citing the defendant's prior juvenile history, Czykier said.

"This prosecution was successful because of the cooperation of the victim and the quick thinking of the law enforcement officers, '' Czykier said.

Tom Haydon may be reached at thaydon@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @Tom_HaydonSL. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Man charged with having $4K worth of heroin, weapons in Newark

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Arrest came after complaints about drug dealing, public safety director says

Ibn Shakur Ibn Shakur, 33 (Photo: Newark Dept. of Public Safety) 
NEWARK -- Police said Wednesday they arrested a man and seized more than $4,000 worth of heroin after responding to citizen complaints of drug dealing near an intersection in the city.

Officers were checking reports of the narcotics sales near Washington and West Kinney streets when they spotted Ibn Shakur, 33, selling heroin Tuesday morning, Public Safety Director Anthony Ambrose announced in a statement. 

Police arrested Shakur and later served a search warrant at his nearby residence, according to authorities. That operation turned up nearly 400 decks of heroin, marijuana and three guns.

Cops arrest man with $25K in pirated DVDs, authorities say

Shakur faces charges, including possession of heroin and marijuana, possession with intent to distribute drugs, drug possession within 1,000 feet of a school, possession of a defaced firearm and other weapons offenses.

Anyone with information was asked to contact Newark's 24-hour Crime Stoppers anonymous tip line at 877-NWK-TIPS (877-695-8477) or NWK-GUNS (877-695-4867). Police said Crime Stopper tips are kept confidential. 

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

 


Fugitive unit arrests alleged gunman in Newark shooting

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Detectives also investigating Sunday night shooting

Abdul ChanceAbdul Chance (Photo: Newark Dept. of Public Safety) 
NEWARK -- Police on Wednesday arrested the accused gunman in one of two separate shootings over the weekend in the city, authorities said.

Members of the Newark police division's Fugitive Apprehension Team located Abdul Chance, 36, when he went to work in Jersey City, according to Capt. Derek Glenn, spokesman for the Newark Department of Public Safety. Chance, of Newark, faces aggravated assault and weapons charges.

Chance was wanted for shooting a 41-year-old city man on the 400 block of North 12th Street around 4 p.m. Sunday, Public Safety Director Anthony Ambrose said in a statement. Authorities previously issued a call for information from the public to find the accused gunman.

Man charged with having $4K worth of heroin, weapons in Newark

The shooting victim was not seriously hurt, Ambrose said. He was treated and released from Clara Maass Medical Center in Belleville. 

Detectives with the city's Cease Fire Shooting Response Team were also pursuing leads in a shooting that occurred shortly before 10 p.m. Sunday near South 7th and 11th Avenue, the spokesman said. A male victim was listed in stable condition at University Hospital.

Ambrose asked anyone with information to contact the city's 24-hour Crime Stoppers anonymous tip line at 877-NWK-TIPS (877-695-8477) or NWK-GUNS (877-695-4867). Police said Crime Stopper tips are confidential and could lead to a reward.

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

Student loan interest rates dropping for some N.J. students

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Find out if you are eligible for a lower rate.

Some New Jersey college students will receive slight relief this fall from the rising cost of higher education.

The agency that oversees the state's student financial aid program announced this week it will lower interest rates on loans provide through the New Jersey College Loans to Assist State Students (NJCLASS) program. 

The following interest rates will be lowered for this school year: 

  • 10 year-loans decreased from 4.99 percent to 4.48 percent
  • 15-year loans decreased from 6.20 percent to 5.19 percent
  • 20-year loans decreased from 7.85 to 7.15 percent

NCLASS loans are available to New Jersey residents who attend a college in the state or out-of-state students enrolled at New Jersey colleges. 

Borrowers who previously applied for an NJCLASS loan will be able to receive the lower rate if their funds have not yet been disbursed, according the The New Jersey Higher Education Student Assistance Authority (HESAA). 

The interest rates will be lower in part because of HESAA's strong bond rating and favorable market conditions, Executive Director Gabrielle Charette said. 

Adam Clark may be reached at adam_clark@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on twitter at @realAdamClarkFind NJ.com on Facebook.

 

Man gets 9 years in unemployment scam that cost N.J. $200K

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Union City man was also ordered to pay the money back, authorities said.

Screen Shot 2016-06-10 at 5.00.11 PM.pngSantiago admitted to defrauding the state out of more than $200,000, authorities said. (Courtesy Essex County Prosecutor's Office)
 

NEWARK -- A Union City man will spend nine years in jail after admitting that he bilked the state out of hundreds of thousands of dollars via an unemployment scam.

Ricardo Santiago, who is also known as Arcadio, was sentenced Friday after pleading guilty to second degree theft by deception on Dec. 21, 2015, Acting Essex County Prosecutor Carolyn A. Murray announced in a release.

According to authorities, Santiago schemed the state out of $219,424 from January 2013 to February 2015 by filing numerous phony unemployment insurance claims with the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development. The claims, officials said, were on behalf of purported employees of two New Jersey-based businesses, and were backed up by false documents, pay stubs, and W2 forms that he manufactured.

Santiago also submitted documentation on "bogus wages" to the state, and had unemployment payments deposited into bank accounts that were opened in other names, but that he controlled, authorities said.

Which county has the most unemployment?

"The New Jersey unemployment insurance program is intended to act as a financial safety net for workers who have a legitimate need for those benefits," said Assistant Prosecutor Deborah Freier, who handled the case.

"Every dollar stolen by people like the defendant threatens the viability of these important programs. It is our hope that this case will send a clear message that individuals who defraud state benefit systems will face significant prison sentences."

In addition to the nine years, Santiago was ordered to pay back the money, officials said.

The prosecutor's office, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, and the NJLWD conducted the investigation into the scheme.

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

Reward offered as colleagues 'heartbroken' over animal control officer's killing

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Newark victim remembered as family man, caring officer

NEWARK -- Essex County authorities on Friday announced a reward of up to $10,000 for information in the slaying of an animal control officer in the city.

Alvis G. Carrington, 43, who served for 16 years with Associated Humane Societies in Newark, was shot in front of a residence on Wainwright Street shortly before midnight May 31, according to the Essex County Prosecutor's Office. He died a short time later at University Hospital.

The reward, provided through Essex County Sheriff Armando Fontoura's Crime Stoppers Program, was offered for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the case.

Authorities have not disclosed a motive in Carrington's death. Law enforcement sources with knowledge of the probe said the preliminary investigation suggested the killing was not random.

Animal control officer shot and killed

Fellow animal control officers and staff at the shelter remembered Carrington as a family man and dedicated colleague.

"I've known him for 16 years," said John Bergmann, a member of the Associated Humane Society's Board of Directors. "He was one of the good guys. Always pleasant, always caring about the animals."

Carrington would make regular trips down to Forked River, where Bergmann worked at a second New Jersey chapter of the Associated Humane Society to bring supplies and transfer dogs, Bergmann added.

Another former colleague, Lovey McCloud, 44, of Newark, told NJ Advance Media Carrington was on-call the night he was gunned down. 

McCloud said he showed up for work the morning after the shooting and learned his friend had been killed.

"I came in the next day and they say he had been shot," McCloud added. "I couldn't take that in. I was heartbroken."

McCloud, who has worked at the Evergreen Avenue shelter since 1998, said Carrington leaves behind three children and three stepchildren.

An online fundraiser was also setup for Carrington's family at GoFundMe.com.

Anyone with information was urged to call the Essex County Prosecutor's Office Homicide/Major Crimes Task Force tips line at 1-877-TIPS-4EC or 1-877-847-7432.

Luke Nozicka and Katie Park contributed reporting  

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

 

Newark police seek to ID men in gunpoint robbery, burglary

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Anyone with information urged to call authorities

Newark robbery suspectPolice said the photo shows a man wanted for a gunpoint robbery near Synott Place (Photo: Dept. of Public Safety) 
NEWARK -- Public Safety Director Anthony Ambrose this week asked for the public's help to identify suspects in separate investigations of a gunpoint robbery and store burglary.

Police released a photo showing the man they said is wanted for robbing a city resident at gunpoint around 6 a.m. on June 3 near Synott Place.

In another case, authorities said they trying to identify the men caught on camera burglarizing a grocery store on the 100 block of Tremont Avenue around midnight. Police released security camera images of the men.

Reward offered as colleagues 'heartbroken' over Newark killing

Both investigations were ongoing. In a statement, Ambrose asked anyone with information on the crimes to contact Newark's 24-hour Crime Stoppers' tip line at 877 NWK-TIPS (877-695-8477) or NWK-GUNS (877-695-4867). All anonymous tips are kept confidential, authorities added.

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

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