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East Orange police probe reported morning shooting

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Victim treated and released from area hospital

East Orange Police.jpg(File photo) 
EAST ORANGE -- One person was shot in an incident that reportedly occurred Friday morning near a Central Avenue eatery, officials said.

The victim, identified only as a male, suffered non life-threatening injuries and was treated and released from University Hospital, according to East Orange spokeswoman Connie Jackson.

Man wanted on charges of shooting 2 teens

The shooting was reported near a Dunkin Donuts shop on Central Avenue, near South Maple Street, around 7 a.m. The victim was discovered nearby in Newark, but police said East Orange authorities were handling the investigation.

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


Mourners remember 'fantastic grandmother' killed in NJ Transit bus crash

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A wake was held for Jesy Garcia, who was one of two people killed in the crash. Watch video

ELIZABETH -- Friends and family members gathered Friday to say goodbye to a woman who they said was full of life, and of love for her children and grandchildren.

Jesy Garcia, 49, was a passenger on the No. 13 NJ Transit bus that was driving north on Broad Street at about 6:05 a.m. on Aug. 19 when authorities say another commuter bus crashed into it. Garcia was killed in the crash, as was the driver of the other bus, 70-year-old Joseph Barthelus.

Mourners remembered Garcia as a loving mother and grandmother at a wake at the Gorny and Gorny Funeral Home in Elizabeth Friday evening. Another public wake will be held Saturday morning from 9 to 10:30 a.m., with a private funeral service to follow.

"She was absolutely crazy about her family, especially her grandkids," said Jasmina Bosnjakovic, who attended Friday night's wake. That's the biggest tragedy because...she was a good mother, but she was a fantastic grandmother."

"Those kids were her world."

3 remain critical a week after crash

Relatives said Garcia was on her way to work at a factory in Newark, a short commute from her city home, when the crash occurred.

Garcia, Bosnjakovic said, "was just getting up and going to work, just like all of us do everyday." 

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

Newark firefighters battle 4 blazes in one night

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Six firefighters and a member of the public suffered burns in series of blazes

NEWARK -- Six firefighters and a civilian suffered minor injuries in a series of small fires Thursday night, Public Safety Director Anthony Ambrose said.

The first blaze broke out around 5:17 p.m. at Welco Acetylene Corp. at 321 Roanoke Ave. An employee of the business suffered burns and was treated at University Hospital.

photo(50).JPGFirefighters douse a fire on Virginia Street in Newark Thursday, Aug. 25, 2016, one of four fires that broke out in a short span that night. (Paul Milo | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)  

A second, 3-alarm fire broke out at the vacant Seth Boyden housing complex on Frelinghuysen Avenue about 20 minutes later. That fire, which started on the third floor, as well as a second fire on the first floor were both quickly contained.

Six firefighters were treated and released for burns suffered at Seth Boyden.

A few blocks from those fires, on Virginia Street near Frelinghuysen Avenue, yet another blaze broke out shortly after 11 p.m. near a vacant warehouse. Firefighters on scene said smoke from a pile of burning debris outside the building temporarily trapped three people inside but all were rescued and unhurt. They were treated at University Hospital.

The Newark Fire Division and the Essex County Arson Squad are investigating the fires, Ambrose said. Anyone with information can call the prosecutor's office at 877-847-7432 or the NFD fire division at 973-733-7510.

Paul Milo may be reached at pmilo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter@PaulMilo2. Find NJ.com on Facebook. 

2 Newark carjacking suspects arrested, 3 at large

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The victim's vehicle was taken at gunpoint Friday morning

NEWARK -- Two men were arrested in connection with a carjacking early Friday morning, Public Safety Director Anthony Ambrose said.

The 54-year-old victim told police he was carjacked at gunpoint around 1:45 a.m. by five people. Officers searching the area spotted the man's 2004 Honda CRV at Muhammad Ali and Irvine Turner boulevards.

Police tried to stop the car but it took off, striking four other vehicles parked in the 400 block of Irvine Turner, Ambrose said. All five then left the CRV and ran.

Police caught city residents Dontrell Hicks, 19, and Deshaun Thompson, 18, but the remaining three suspects were still at large Friday, Ambrose said.

Hicks has been charged with carjacking, eluding, resisting arrest, conspiracy and weapons offenses, and was also issued motor-vehicle summonses for reckless driving, leaving the scene of an accident and driving without a license.

Thompson has been charged with carjacking, resisting arrest, conspiracy and weapons charges.

Anyone with information urged to call the city's 24-hour Crime Stopper tip line at 1-877- NWK-TIPS (1-877- 695-8477) or 1-877- NWK-GUNS (1-877- 695-4867).  Tips remain confidential and could lead to a reward.

Paul Milo may be reached at pmilo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter@PaulMilo2. Find NJ.com on Facebook. 

 

Upper Montclair church restoring landmark 'peace memorial' | Di Ionno

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Work on WW I bell tower at St. James is underway, but help is needed

They were born in the late 1800s and their deaths came nearly a century ago, but Melissa Hall, the pastor of the Episcopal Church of St. James in Upper Montclair, wants them never to be forgotten.

Not only for who they were. But what they stood for. And what they represent.

The seven young men from the church neighborhood died during World War I and their framed pictures and biographies sit on a shelf next to Hall's desk. Equally prominent in her office are the seven pairs of military boots used to symbolize their deaths during the church's weekend-long Memorial Day remembrance.

"We have an obligation to remember these men, and other men and women, who died in war," Hall said. "If we don't put a face to it, war becomes an abstraction.  And when war becomes an abstraction, when we forget the human beings who are dying and suffering, it becomes way too easy to go to war."

Hall then took it a step further, as compassionate, thinking people often do.

"And when war becomes an abstraction, peace becomes an abstraction, too."

That's a Bartlett's-worthy quote, and the essence of it has driven her passion to get the memorial bell tower on church grounds restored and ready for the next 100 years.

MORERecent Mark Di Ionno columns

The most visible homage to the men - and 91 others who fought in World War I and returned home -- is that 75-foot bell tower, which is connected to the church entrance. It was built in 1919, after the Armistice, not only as a memorial to the men who died but, as the plaque inscription says, as a "thanks offering for the return of those who served."

But despite the chimes of 13 bells that rang and resonated hourly for nearly a century over Upper Montclair's downtown the reason for the bell tower's existence became lost on many in the community. Decades of forgetting took hold.

When Hall was chosen to lead the St. James congregation three years ago, she found a tattered banner, with 91 blue stars and seven in gold, in a frame.

"I was new, just figuring out the building and cleaning up around the place, and I found it behind a couch," she said. "I knew it was obviously part of the church history and was important enough to save it. Then it hit me. The gold stars. It was connected to the bell tower."

She instituted the Memorial Day remembrance, draping a red banner from the tower to the church walkway, where the boots were placed, hauntingly empty.

A pair for Army Capt. George Stanley Butcher, killed in battle in France.

A pair for Marine Cpl. Richard W. P. Rose, a Princeton graduate, killed in battle in France.

One for Marine Aviation Lt. Chapin C. Barr, killed in an air battle in France and the posthumous recipient of the Navy Cross.

Another for Army Lt. Maurice P. Niven, killed in France two weeks before the Armistice.

Three others - Louis Frank Pfingstag, Howard Martin Cook Jr. and Edward Roehr - died of illnesses in faraway places.

Niven was 30. The rest were in their early 20s, except for Cook, who was 18.

"I wanted people to stop and think about these kids, and the holes it left in their families," Hall said. 

Hall, 63, was ordained in 2003, after a career in nursing. But it was as a seminarian in 2001, when she saw firsthand the church's role in giving solace during a community catastrophe.

"After 9/11, people flooded this place," said Hall, who was training at St. James at the time. "The same thing happened after Sandy (while she was at St. Peter's in Morristown). We were the place where the lights were on.

"So church role isn't always about how many butts are in the seats on Sunday, but what it means to the community."

The "deeper theology" to community gathering, as Hall said, is reflected in Scripture.

" 'For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them,' " she quoted from Matthew 18:20. "So when they come here, they know they can find God in each other. They can look each other in the eye, and eye-to-eye; see that's where the incarnation of God is."

This philosophy is why she knew the tower was so important to the community when it was built. It was a symbol of collective grief and relief, in a small town impacted by war.

"Grief is love that has lost its home," she said.

The tower - with the names of the seven dead engraved on seven bells - gave it a home.

"This is not our tower," Hall said. "This was put up by the community."

But like any home, the tower needed maintenance. Over the years, water seeped into the masonry.

"The mortar began running out of it like sand," Hall said.

After a century of patchwork fixes, Hall knew a major renovation was needed to "keep it from falling down."

An anonymous donor kicked off the campaign with a $400,000 contribution to what is a $1 million job. It was enough to get started, and the tower is now covered by scaffolding and the bells have been quieted.

The inside of the tower smells musty, the wooden stairs are soft from moisture and there are significant fractures in the interior cement work.

Still, Hall and the congregation believe it's worth saving.

"And I don't like to think of it as a war memorial, but a peace memorial," she said. "If we continue to put faces to the names of the people we send off to war, maybe someday we'll stop sending them."

                                                 * * *

Those interested in contributing to the restoration can send a check to "Bell Tower Fund," Attn.: Bettylou O'Dell, The Episcopal Church of St. James, 581 Valley Road, Montclair, N.J. 07043

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

Man held on $250K bail for theft of police car, authorities say

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The 22-year-old Nutley man took the police car after they responded to a home for a domestic violence incident, authorities said.

Edgar OrdonezEdgar Ordonez 

CLIFTON -- A Nutley man is being held on a quarter million dollar bail Saturday after he stole and then crashed a police car, officials said. 

Edgar Ordonez, 22, was arrested by Clifton police Friday after he crashed the Nutley Township police cruiser on Route 3, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes said in a press release. 

The incident began when Nutley police responded to a home Friday morning for an alleged domestic violence incident. As police were investigating at the home, Ordonez got into a township police car and drove away, Valdes said. An officer was injured as Ordonez tried to flee the area in the police vehicle, Valdes said.

Ordonez then fled on Route 3 in the police car where he got into a car accident with an SUV, authorities said. He was arrested after the accident by Clifton police. 

Ordonez was charged with numerous offenses including carjacking in the first degree, resisting arrest in the third degree and aggravated assault. His bail was set at $250,000 with no 10 percent option for the carjacking. An additional $75,000 bail with no 10 percent option was added due to the alleged domestic violence incident. 

Fausto Giovanny Pinto may be reached at fpinto@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @FGPreporting. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

 

How old fire hoses become tiger toys at Turtle Back Zoo (PHOTOS)

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Hose 2 Habitat hosted a zookeeper weaving workshop in New Jersey this week.

WEST ORANGE -- Giant cubes for lions. Food-filled climbing structures for monkeys. Oversized hammocks for black bears.

Leisure items for wild animals living in zoos can eat up large chunks of the facilities' budgets, and be difficult to find, zookeepers say.

"They are custom for every animal we take care of," said Katelyn Harley, a zookeeper at the Trailside Museum and Zoo at Bear Mountain State Park in New York.

"Anytime we are able to make cheaper enrichment for our animals, it's a very good thing."

Top end-of-summer day trips in Essex County

Harley was one of the staff members from seven zoos across the northeast who descended on the Turtle Back Zoo in West Orange earlier this week for a weaving workshop. The event was hosted by the zoo and "Hose 2 Habitat," a Maryland-based nonprofit that collects used or discarded items and delivers them to zoos to repurpose them into items animals can use and enjoy.

The Aug. 22 workshop taught zookeepers how to take one of the most commonly donated items - old fire hoses that are no longer up to fire codes but that are still durable enough for the animals - and weave them into giant cubes that cats like lions and tigers enjoy playing with. The stop in New Jersey was part of a zoo tour the nonprofit is making to help spread awareness about the crafty toys.

According to Turtle Back Zookeeper Chris Ashley, who helped coordinate the workshop, the West Orange zoo has as many as 30 of these pieces in its 15 exhibits, ranging from giraffe feeders to hanging toys.

Zookeepers, he said, are always looking for ways to make more items for their animals. Hose 2 Habitat's work has been a big help, he said.

"They expose everybody to new items, and how to manipulate them," Ashley said.

"(We're making) enrichment items for the animals without it costing thousands of dollars."

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

Jerk City? After success in Montclair, Jamaican chef opens Newark cafe

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3 siblings from South Orange opened the Freetown Cafe on a gentrifying block in downtown Newark

NEWARK -- Two years after scoring a gastronomic hit with their jerk joint-plus, Vital Eating, in restaurant-rich Montclair, Jamaican-American siblings Kwame, Kanika and Nataki Williams are expanding east into Newark, with a vegan-friendly cafe that neighbors say is one more sign of the city's downtown's gentrification. 
   
"We're trying to bring the Caribbean experience to other people," said Kwame Williams, 34, who, like his sisters, was born in Florida of Jamaican immigrants and grew up in South Orange.

The Freetown Cafe on Halsey Street, at the corner of Bleeker, is the family's new establishment. While the new cafe offers a more limited selection than Vital, and caters largely to a lunch crowd, much of it take-out orders from downtown Newark's many academic, legal and financial workers, Freetown's menu borrows heavily from that of its older-sister establishment, where some of the cafe food is actually cooked or prepared.

1 Vital Dining me.jpgThe success of Vital Dining in Montclair led the Williams family to open the Freetown Cafe in Newark. 

While vegan friendly, Freetown, like Vital, is for meat eaters, as well.

The names of many of the menu items are Jamaican cultural or historical references: the Sunsplash, a drink of grapefruit, orange and mango juice ($3.50); the Maroon, with beet, grape and apple juice ($8); and the Get Up, Stand Up, one of several coffee flavors inspired by reggae icon Bob Marley ($1.75, $2.25, $2.75 for small, medium or large).


The Talkin' Blues is the cafe's "100% Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee," according to the menu, referring to the bean prized by the Bond author and Jamaica resident Ian Flemming and other connoisseurs. "It carries a bouquet of floral aroma with balanced acidity and full body. Simply the quintessential cup."    

The appetizers, or "Quick Bites," include one of the cafe's more typical dishes, Jamaican meat patties, made of flaky yellow pastry filled with curried ground beef ($2). Jerk Chicken Caesar is among the salads ($10), referring to Jamaica's classic seasoning consisting mainly of allspice and Scotch bonnet peppers.   

There is a Jerk Portabella Pannini sandwich, with ciabatta bread, avocado, tomato and mixed greens ($8). And the smoothies include a Milkless Milkshake, made with raw almonds, dates and vanilla ($8).   

The family restaurant business came to be in 2014, while Williams, who studied cooking at Manhattan's Institute of Culinary Education, was working as a chef at Minton's, a popular Harlem eatery. Nataki, now 39, was tiring of her work in corporate finance, and proposed that they open a restaurant together. Reluctant at first, her brother finally agreed, and after the two drafted Kanika, now 32, an events planner, into the enterprise, the trio opened Vital Eating on Montclair's main drag, Bloomfield Avenue.

"We don't really fight as much as people think," Kanika said with a laugh. "Kwame is very mild-mannered. Usually, when my sister and I gang up on him, he just caves."

Although it was the family's first venture in the high-risk restaurant business, and one in a town known for its plentiful and varied dining options, Vital Dining survived beyond its first year, largely on word of mouth.

But it was a rave review in The New York Times last March that made dining there not only vital, but essential for suburban foodies eager to eat and be seen.

"It is the most alluring Caribbean food I have eaten off-island," gushed Fran Schumer, the Times' metropolitan food critic. Of Williams, a veteran of the Ryland Inn in Whitehouse Station and the Highlawn Pavilion in West Orange, Schumer wrote, "he cares deeply about health and sustainable agriculture, and still manages to create rich, novel dishes that go far beyond the usual coconut-besotted, excessively salty, fried or jerk-saturated staples," of lesser Jamaican menus.

Aside from packing the restaurant, Williams said the review prompted advice that he expand or open new establishments, and offers from would-be investors.

To open Vital Dining, the Williams family took over the lease on its Bloomfield Avenue space from two brothers they had known at South Orange High School, Emeka and Arinze Onugha, who run the Health, Love & Soul Juice Bar & Grill in Maplewood. The Williamses set up a meeting with Emeka to pick his brain on where to open their next restaurant, held in a vacant storefront the brothers had been leasing on Halsey Street, but not using for anything.

Onugha's advice was to outfit a food truck that could travel to different cities or neighborhoods and, based on its popularity, determine where there was adequate demand for Jamaican food. Williams said he liked the idea, but as it turned out, he also liked the meeting place itself, and decided he dind't have to look any further for the new location. 

"I jokingly said, 'This relationship is really working out. Before you know it, we're going to be calling you about the Newark location,'" Williams said.

And they did, making the lease on the Halsey Street space the second one the Williams family wound up assuming from the same two brothers they had known in high school. The food truck idea remains on the back burner.

From the sidewalk outside Freetown, passersby get a hint of the Jamaican flavor from the red, green and yellow signage. Inside, the cafe's pale blue walls, natural-finish wooden tables with novel built-in seating, reggae music at a low volume, and air conditioning made Freetown an oasis of cool tranquility one afternoon this week, when Newark was as muggy as Montego Bay.  

1 Green Chicpea Newark me.jpgThe Freetown Cafe was welcomed by the owner of the Green Chicpea, a kosher restaurant that is part of a burgeoning restaurant row on Halsey Street. 


That block of Halsey, between Bleeker and New Street, has two other newish eateries: Green Chicpea, a kosher sit-down establishment that opened three years ago; and the south Asian flavored Watta Burger.
 
Together with Freetown, they form a burgeoning restaurant row, with a ready clientele from nearby businesses and institutions that include the Prudential's new headquarters building that backs directly on Halsey Street, and the Rutgers Newark campus around the corner.

Three vacant storefronts on the block, which have the look of availability rather than abandonment, could bolster the block's fortunes or hinder them, depending on their occupancy.  

Hundreds of families could soon be moving in right across Halsey Street, where work was progressing on the old Hahne's Department Store, which finally may be nearing occupancy after years of start-and-stop redevelopment of the site.

A Barnes & Noble store is slated to occupy the base of the Hahne's complex on the Halsey Street side, while a Whole Foods gourmet supermarket slated to move in around the corner would only add to the neighborhood's culinary cachet. 

Green Chicpea's owner, Martin Weber, welcomed the Williamses to the block.

"My philosophy is, the more restaurants the better it is," said Weber, who also co-chairs the newly formed Halsey Avenue Merchants Association, a group now seeking its nonprofit 501(c)(3) status. "If you have 150,000 people working in downtown Newark now, nobody can handle that alone."  

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


Newark woman standing at her car killed in crash, cops say

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The victim died from her injuries after being hit by a car in Newark, authorities said

NEWARK -- A Newark woman was killed in a collision with another car early Saturday morning, authorities said.

Acting Essex County Prosecutor Carolyn Murray and Newark Public Safety Director Anthony Ambrose said the police department and the prosecutor's office are investigating the fatal crash that occurred shortly after 2 a.m.

They said Damaris Mercado, 41, was struck and killed in the 100 block of Broadway by a man driving a Honda as she was outside her car.

Mercado died from her injuries, Murray and Ambrose said in a press release.

The man, whom authorities did not identify, was hospitalized with injuries that are not life threatening, they said.

The investigation is active and ongoing, authorities said.

MaryAnn Spoto may be reached at mspoto@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @MaryAnnSpoto. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

 

1 dead in 2 shootings in Newark, police say

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Authorities were investigating shootings on Belgium Street and Central Avenue in Newark on Saturday

NEWARK -- Authorities in Essex County said Saturday they are investigating two separate shootings in Newark, including one that turned fatal.

Investigators from the Newark Police Department and the Essex County Prosecutor's Office were on Belgium Street early Saturday morning to investigate a fatal shooting, said Katherine Carter, spokeswoman for the prosecutor's office.

She said a man was shot dead at that location but that she did not have details about the incident, which was reported around 6 a.m.

The second shooting occurred at Central Avenue and 3rd Street, said city Police Director Anthony Ambrose.

Police identify woman sought in Newark shooting

He said a man was injured during a dispute in Domino's Pizza.

Ambrose said police have warrants for a suspect in that shooting but he had no further information. 

MaryAnn Spoto may be reached at mspoto@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @MaryAnnSpoto. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Police identify woman sought in Newark shooting

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Man shot around 1 a.m. Saturday

Shyteisha McCargoShyteisha McCargo (Photo: Dept. of Public Safety) 
NEWARK -- City police asked for the public's help to find a 23-year-old woman accused in a shooting early Saturday that left a man hospitalized.

Shyteisha McCargo, of Newark, is wanted on charges of aggravated assault, unlawful possession of a weapon and possession of a weapon for unlawful purpose, according to the Newark Department of Public Safety.

Officers were called to a report of a person shot outside of a Domino's Pizza store near Central Avenue and 4th Street around 1 a.m., the department said in a news release. The shooting victim, identified as a 32-year-old man, was transported to University Hospital and listed in stable condition.

McCargo and the man were involved in a dispute before the shooting, according to police. The investigation remained ongoing.

Man wanted on charges of shooting 2 teens

The attack was one of two shootings reported Saturday morning. In a separate incident, a man was shot and killed on Belgium Street around 6 a.m., authorities said.

Anyone with information about McCargo was asked to call the city's 24-hour Crime Stoppers tip line at 1-877-NWK-TIPS (1-877-695-8477) or 1-877-NWK-GUNS (1-877-695-4867). All anonymous tips are kept confidential and could lead to a reward, police said.

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

 

Free immunizations available for Newark students

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It's time for the "School Bus Express" immunization program.

 

NEWARK -- Newark's annual "School Bus Express" immunization program is now underway.

The annual program, coordinated by the Newark Department of Health and Community Wellness, provides Newark children with the immunizations they need to attend school.

Those participating in the School Bus Express for the first time must bring a copy of the child's immunization record and provide proof of residency. Adults must also bring a photo ID and their medical insurance card.

The free immunizations will be available 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday through Sept. 22 at the Department of Health and Community Wellness, 110 William St. The clinic will be open until 7 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays through Sept. 15, and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 10 and 17. The clinic will be closed Sept. 5 for Labor Day.

For more information call 973-733-7592 or visit ci.newark.nj.us.

To submit school news send an email to essex@starledger.com.

Bernie Sanders' revolution plants a flag in N.J. | The Auditor

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U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders' new political group has made an endorsement in the Garden State.

Peter Jacob, the Democratic nominee for the U.S. House in the 7th Congressional District, was among the first candidates endorsed by U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders' new political committee, Our Revolution.

Sanders (I-Vt.) formed the group after losing the Democratic presidential nomination to Hillary Clinton. Jacob is the only New Jersey candidate in the first round of endorsements.

Jacob faces Republican Rep. Leonard Lance in November. 

"Our Revolution has begun, a movement of millions of people standing up and saying enough with politics as usual," Jacob said. "We deserve a candidate who will bring the people's voice back to Washington, and we are honored Senator Sanders and Our Revolution believe in us to do exactly that."

N.J. is a 98-pound weakling

While endorsing Clinton for president, Sanders also announced plans to work to elect other progressives to public office. In backing Jacob, his group cited the candidate's opposition to the Iraq War and his work through community organizations to fight child abuse and human trafficking.

"If elected, Peter will continue to serve not just as a politician, but as a true public servant, and will fight to instill progressive values into New Jersey's legislation," the group said.

Jacob immediately began fundraising off the endorsement.

"We cannot thank you enough for all you do, nor can we thank Senator Sanders enough for joining us in our fight," he said in an email solicitation. "We look forward to fighting with you."

Through June 30, Lance had $365,698 in the bank and Jacob had $25,526. The Cook Political Report and the Rothenberg & Gonzales Political Report, two Washington-based publications that track congressional races, rate the contest Safe Republican. 

 

Woman sought in Newark shooting surrenders to police

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Shyteshia McCargo turned herself in.

NEWARK -- A city woman sought in a shooting surrendered to Newark Police on Saturday, authorities said.

Shyteisha McCargo 2Shyteisha McCargo (Photo: Dept. of Public Safety) 

Shyteshia McCargo, 23, turned herself in after seeing media reports saying there was a $250,000 warrant out for her arrest, the Newark Department of Public Safety said.

A 32-year-old man was shot at about 12:56 a.m. Saturday outside of a Domino's Pizza at the intersection of Central Avenue and 4th Street, police said. McCargo and the man had been involved in a dispute.

The man was taken to University Hospital and is in stable condition, police said.

McCargo is charged with aggravated assault, unlawful possession of a weapon and possession of a weapon for unlawful purpose.

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

In 5 years, N.J. college goes from Irene casualty to urban success

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Pillar College emerged from the devastating storm with a new strategy.

NEWARK -- On August 28, 2011 the future of what was then known as Somerset Christian College was up in the air. The school's staff had spent a few days moving everything they could carry from the first floors of the four buildings on its Franklin Township campus to upper floors, where they might be saved from a storm forecast to hit that weekend.

Five years ago, Hurricane Irene decimated the campus, with floodwaters filling the buildings. Furniture and other items were destroyed. When the flooding finally subsided, it left six-foot tall water stains and mold in its wake.

Though the college was only renting space in the building, it was condemned after the storm, leaving the school homeless a week before classes for the Fall 2011 semester were set to begin.  

"It couldn't have happened at a worse time," said David Schroeder, the school's president.

"But, we didn't have time to let it paralyze us."

Irene: Recalling a fierce storm 5 years later

In the immediate, the college used space at a nearby church to hold classes. But, school leaders took the storm damage as a nudge toward a new future.

Since 2008, the school had envisioned becoming an urban college, with small satellite campuses in cities throughout New Jersey. By the time Irene hit, it already had a small satellite location in Newark, where it offered nighttime adult education classes. Eventually, the plan was to find a location in the city that could serve as the school's main campus.

"The hurricane fast-forwarded our plans by a few years," Schroeder said.

The college had already been renting some space in the Military Park Building on Park Place in Newark. School leaders decided it would become the school's main campus. It planned to open a permanent satellite in Somerset County, and look for additional locations in other cities across New Jersey.

In 2013, Somerset Christian rebranded to reflect its new identity, and became known as Pillar College. It has led to new locations in Paterson and Somerset. There is a new program starting up in Irvington this semester, and the school is looking to open new mini-campuses in Jersey City and elsewhere.

In addition to night and adult education, the school focuses on helping subsidize tuition for city students who cannot pay, programs geared toward teaching non-English speakers, and remedial classes geared toward bolstering students' reading and writing abilities.

Screen Shot 2016-08-28 at 11.42.27 AM.pngPillar College President David Schroeder.
 

"We have a very strong desire to serve the underserved," Schroeder said. "That's why we're here."

The shift in focus has led to expansion.

According to Amy Huber, the assistant vice president of academics who tracks student enrollment, the school has nearly doubled in size since Hurricane Irene.

During the 2009-10 school year, Somerset Christian has 346 students. Now, Pillar has 638 enrolled, with aggressive plans to double that number by 2020, she said.

"Relocating helped open doors of opportunity," Huber said. After overcoming Irene, she said, "we were more determined than ever to grow."

The storm was responsible for some losses, the staff said. Though the loss of property was minimized, the move cost the school almost a third of its staff. Space restrictions caused the school to convert its library to one that is mostly digital, so it donated about 16,000 books from its previous collection.

But, staff members say the costs are dwarfed by the strides it has made.

And, they said, the college has remained true to its core values. Pillar is still a Christian college that requires students take theology-based courses, and that weaves religious values into its philosophies. But, it also targets needy populations of learners and offers to them degree programs in professional fields varying from psychology to elementary education.

Pillar is one of only a handful of private colleges in the state in which enrollment has consistently grown. The future, Schroeder said, looks even brighter.

"We are theologically conservative, but socially progressive," he said of the school's mission.

"We want to be open and available to students of all different cultures, faiths, and backgrounds. ... This is our home."

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

Olympic boxer Shakur Stevenson hailed as hero in Newark celebration

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People packed the steps of City Hall to greet the Newark native and Olympic boxing champion.

NEWARK -- Just a kid from Newark - that's how a tongue-in-cheek Powerade commercial bills boxer Shakur Stevenson, who took home a silver medal in this year's Olympic games.

But in the Brick City on Sunday, Stevenson was celebrated as a hero.

"I appreciate everything you all did for me, all the support," Stevenson told a cheering crowd. "When I was in Rio, when I was fighting, I was thinking about Newark. I had the city on my back."

A crowd packed the steps of City Hall to watch a parade and ceremony in honor of the 19-year-old Olympian. Many donned shirts with phrases like "Shakur's Corner" and waved signs reading "Believe in Newark." 

Stevenson won silver in the bantamweight finals of the Olympics this month, coming second to Cuba's Robeisy Ramirez. 

Standing on a stage made to look like a boxing ring, politicians repeatedly praised Stevenson for putting Newark on the global map in a positive way. 

Mayor Ras Baraka called the young boxer "a gentleman in the ring" and said it's hard not to love him for his humility and respectfulness. 

"I just want to tell all these young people out here, if you all need somebody to look up to, Shakur Stevenson is somebody you should be focusing on," said Baraka, before leading the crowd in a chant of "Hands up, guns down." 

Newark held its annual "24 Hours of Peace" event last weekend -- a celebration that was interrupted by two shootings elsewhere in the city and four others over the next three days. 

City councilwoman-at-large Mildred Crump on Sunday said Stevenson's success on the world stage tells a different story about Newark.

"So often, we hear about the negative things that young men are doing in our community," Crump said. "But Shakur is doing something positive."

Weli Cooper was among hundreds of people who came out to support Newark's own. He and his family set up camp at the site of the ceremony three hours before it was set to begin to secure a prime spot.

Two of Cooper's kids are boxers, so he feels close to the sport -- especially to athletes from New Jersey. He said the state's boxing community is a family.

"Boxing is big, but at the same time, it's small," Cooper said. "Everyone in the New Jersey boxing community knows each other." 

MORE ESSEX COUNTY NEWS

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

N.J. pets in need: Aug. 29, 2016

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Homeless pets throughout New Jersey hope to be adopted.

If you're interested in helping homeless animals but aren't able to adopt one, there are a number of other ways you can be of assistance.

Realistically, not everyone can adopt. People who live in apartments or developments that have no-pets policies fall into that category, as do people with allergies or disabilities that will not allow them to care for pets of their own.

Here are some suggestions for ways people who want to help can participate in caring for homeless animals.

3 blind mice 2 copy.jpg 

* Help out at a local shelter. It's not glamorous work by any means, but it's vital and will be very much appreciated. You can do anything from help walk dogs to bottle feed kittens, help clean kennels or cat's cages or even help with bathing and grooming. Contact your local shelter to find out their policies regarding volunteers.

* If you're handy, you can lend a hand in many ways. Shelters usually need repairs of many kinds, so fixer-uppers can help out like that. If you sew, quilt or crochet, you can make blankets for your local shelter.

* Help out at an adoption event. Many shelters and rescue groups participate in local events by hosting a table with pets available for adoption. They also hold these program at malls, pet supply stores and banks, and can always use a helping hand.

* For galleries like this one and for online adoptions sites, often a shelter or rescue group doesn't have the time or equipment to shoot good photos of their adoptable pets, Something as simple as making yourself available to shoot and provide digital files of pet photos can be a big help.

* Donate. It doesn't have to be money; shelters need cleaning supplies, pet food, toys for the animals and often even things we don't think twice about getting rid of like old towels and newspapers. Every little bit helps.

If you don't know where your local animal shelter or rescue group is, a quick online search will reveal a number of results. It doesn't take a lot of time or effort to get involved but it provides immeasurable assistance.

Greg Hatala may be reached at ghatala@starledger.com. Follow him on Twitter @GregHatala. Find The Star-Ledger on Facebook.

The people's champ is here: Newark honors Shakur Stevenson with Olympic size parade

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The city of Newark showed Shakur Stevenson lots of love with a big time homecoming parade to honor the 19-year-old young man for winning an Olympic silver medal in boxing..

Shakur Stevenson postponed some pretty important plans before he came home to Newark on Sunday.

After returning from Rio de Janeiro with an Olympic silver medal for boxing, Stevenson, 19, was getting ready to take formal driving lessons in Virginia, his home away from home, where he's been living and training for the Games.

But when he heard that Newark -- his hometown -- was about to give him a parade and the key to the city, Stevenson figured he could stomach getting chauffeured around a little bit longer.

"I was mad excited,'' Stevenson said. "There was no way I could miss that.''

MORE: Recent Barry Carter columns   

My man made a wise choice.

Newark showed up and showed out Sunday with a big-time homecoming celebration that Stevenson couldn't have seen coming.

"Everything that they put together was crazy,'' he said. "This is the best day of my life. I love my city for sure.''

His family rode on a float led by hundreds of Newark kids from youth sports programs walking down Broad Street behind a police motorcycle escort. Newark firefighters and a car club featuring a contingent of Jeeps covered the rear as fans lined the main thoroughfare to take pictures. Some onlookers stopped shopping to gawk as an entire city thanked Stevenson for living out his dream and making the city shine by the way he performed and conducted himself.

His mother, Malikah Stevenson, was in tears on the float, clutching an American flag.

She hugged Julie Goldsticker, a public relations consultant for USA Boxing, who told her to take in the moment, that this celebration is what she and her family deserve and worked for all of these years.

"I'm overwhelmed,'' Malikah Stevenson said. "I can't believe it.''

She knew her boy was special, but she didn't expect this. Shahid Guyton, his dad, said his son achieved his goal the right way and that he would have been proud of him if his passion were something else in life.

The jubilant procession stopped in front of City Hall, where a boxing ring was set up to be the stage for Stevenson to receive proclamations and resolutions from dignitaries.

regshakur2IMG_0633.JPGNewark native Reggie Jones, (left) was a 1972 Olympic boxer, who lost a controversial decision that cost him a medal. Forty-four years later, he congratulates Shakur Stevenson, (right) for bringing home a silver medal in boxing to Newark from the Olympics in Rio de Janiero. Stevenson was honored by the city with a parade and the key to the city. 

A huge American flag was behind the ring, held high in the air by two Newark Fire Department ladder companies. The steps of the landmark government building and Broad Street were packed with people as rap lyrics pumped from speakers on the float that let everyone know who had arrived: "The Champ Is Here,'' by SKG, played again and again.

"You did this,'' Mayor Ras Baraka told Stevenson.

"Today is the proudest day in the city of Newark. And it is the best thing that we have ever done because of this young man.''

Stevenson fought his heart out against Cuba's Robeisy Ramirez in the bantamweight final. He may have lost a close, split decision, but Stevenson didn't come up short at all.

He did well in Rio. He has looked at the fight again, and sees the greater good that has come from it.

"I'm a kid that came from nothing, who followed his dreams to make it out of the hood,'' he reflected.

He wants every kid to think about that. He did it. Use him as the compass to go further than the heights he's about to reach.

"I never thought I was going to be somebody that kids would look up to,'' he said.

They do, and they were in the crowd, craning their necks to see you, clamoring around the ring.

Keith Colon, 13, is a talented Newark boxer who said he admires Stevenson's style, the way he sets up his punches and controls the fight.

"He's confident, but he's humble and he doesn't brag. He's not flashy.''

Well, except for his dimpled megawatt smile to go along with his personality. The kid is just flat-out likable and a pleasure to be around.

Powerade, a sports drink, featured him in a commercial. Undefeated champion Floyd Mayweather traveled to Rio to see him fight. Sugar Ray Leonard sent Stevenson a video message to encourage him following his Olympic defeat.

And Anna Robinson, a Newark resident, was just proud to be in the crowd to witness the city praise him.

 MORE CARTER: Meet the keeper of Newark's Weequahic Park

"He's a young man who wants to do something with his life,'' she said.

He's done it from his base, a large supportive family. They filled a Newark movie theater with friends to watch him fight. They were there Sunday ringside and on the float, cheering for him and tossing "Just a kid from Newark" T-shirts to the crowd.

He started this journey with Willie "Wali'' Moses, his grandfather, who trained and taught him how to box when he was 5 years old.

"I'm so proud of my husband's vision that led to this day,'' said Robin Moses, speaking about Wali. "This is the reality of his dream.''

Stevenson now has some heady decisions to make about his future. Yes, he's turning professional next year, and he'd like to fight here at the Prudential Center.

For now, Stevenson said, he's just going to "chill'' for a minute and rest his body before returning to the gym. Considering what he's done, the break is well deserved.

Let's not forget, he's still a teenager, so expect him to hit the mall and catch up on some grub that he's been missing.  Since he's been back, Stevenson hasn't been able to get enough of a bean-and-pork burrito dish that's his favorite.

There's one more thing on his mind, and it doesn't have anything to do with food.

Beep-Beep.

The next time we see Stevenson, he'll be a licensed driver behind the wheel of a car, taking us to the next plateau in his life.

Barry Carter: (973) 836-4925 or bcarter@starledger.com or nj.com/carter or follow him on Twitter @BarryCarterSL

10-vehicle crash on NJ Turnpike leaves at least a dozen injured

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The crash between exits 12 and 13 jammed traffic for hours

CARTERET - A 10-vehicle crash on the NJ Turnpike northbound late Sunday left more than a dozen people with minor injures and jammed traffic in Middlesex County for hours, according to a report.

The crash on the inner roadway between exits 12 and 13 involved a limousine and a Mercedes, which caught fire, a witness to the crash told NBC4 in New York. The 11 p.m. crash resulted from a construction backup heading toward the Goethals Bridge, the report said.

Traffic delays extended for miles until the roadway was cleared about two hours later, the report said.

 

N.J. mayor taps his brother to lead police force after string of shootings

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Police will focus on crime "hot-spots," add patrols and checkpoints, according to a city announcement.

warren.jpgOrange Mayor Dwayne Warren speaks at an unrelated press conference (File photo) 

ORANGE -- After a string of shootings in the city this summer, Mayor Dwayne Warren appointed his brother as the city's acting police director with a mandate to carry out a wide-ranging plan to tackle crime.

Todd Warren, who previously served as deputy police director, replaced the department's former acting head, John Wade.

"As Mayor, my primary responsibility to the families of Orange Township is their safety and well being," Mayor Dwayne Warren said in a statement Friday. 

The mayor said the acting police director would be tasked with implementing a strategic plan to "secure our streets, remove violent offenders from our community and strengthen the partnership between local police and residents."

The effort included strengthening ties with outside law enforcement agencies and neighboring towns, unannounced checkpoints, walking patrols, targeting people with outstanding warrants and undercover operations to arrest those involved in the drug trade, according to the city statement. The city said it also plans to create an anonymous tips line for residents to provide information to police and provide services for youth through the Orange Police Athletic League. 

Shots fired on busy street outside Orange fire station

"I will not let a small group of bad actors undo all the progress we have made in Orange to improve the quality of life for our residents," Warren added. 

The mayor pointed to his brother's "extensive law enforcement experience" in making the selection, including positions working with the family court system, correctional institutions, gang intervention programs and investigations.

Todd Warren's resume lists a range of experience in law enforcement, government and education dating back to the early 1990s when he served as an Essex County corrections officer, internal affairs investigator for the county corrections department and teacher. 

Warren is a former Essex County probation officer, who graduated from the Essex County Police Academy, according to his city biography. He holds a master's degree in administrative science from Fairleigh Dickinson University and a bachelor's degree in political science from University of Massachusetts Amherst, according to a copy of his resume released to NJ Advance Media Friday.

The acting police director also held positions as a special assistant at Newark Public Schools and dean of discipline at the city's Central High School, according to his resume. He was named Orange's deputy police director in July 2012 after working as warden and director at the Essex County Youth Services Juvenile Detention Center.

Warren is in an acting position ahead of a confirmation hearing by the Orange city council, according to a city spokesman.  

Councilman Kerry Coley, a former Orange police sergeant who ran against the mayor, said he wanted a career officer to serve as the department's director. 

"I always felt and still feel that the person should come through the ranks," Coley said.  

A longtime police officer would have a complete understanding of the department, he added. More officers were needed and morale was low among the ranks, he said. 

"The men and women of the Orange Police Department need someone at the top who is going to look out for their best interests all of the time," Coley said. "In good times and bad times."

As a candidate for mayor, Coley accused the Warren administration of being rife with cronyism and nepotism

Coley said council members have not interviewed Todd Warren for the police director position. 

"The jury is still out," he added. 

Officials in July confirmed Wade no longer worked for the city, but the circumstances of his departure were unclear. He was deputy emergency management coordinator for Orange and a former police lieutenant, according to his biography on the city website.

39-year-old ID'ed as victim of deadly triple shooting in Orange

In July, the 2.2 square mile city experienced two deadly multiple shootings within less than a week. In another incident, gunfire erupted on busy Central Avenue outside the city's fire headquarters around 11 a.m. July 29. Authorities have not announced any arrests in the shootings.

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

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