'Rocco' Hankerson belonged to Grape Street Crips

NEWARK -- A 25-year-old city man was sentenced Wednesday to five years behind bars for his involvement in a gang that controlled the drug trade near Branch Brook Park and elsewhere in the city, the office of U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Paul Fishman said in a statement.

Rakeem "Rocco" Hankerson was a member of the Grape Street Crips, a gang that ran criminal operations around North 5th Street and 6th Avenue. He had previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distributing  28 grams or more of crack cocaine.

Police seek stabbing, robbery suspect 

Hankerson bought quantities of the drug from higher-ranking members of the gang and sold it on the street to individual users. The gang protected its turf with so-called "community guns," weapons stashed in hiding places on the street known to gang members. During the investigation authorities seized several of the firearms, including a .410-caliber assault rifle, a Thompson semi-automatic carbine, an assault rifle and several semi-automatic handguns.

On Tuesday, another Newark man, Christopher "Brazil" Coehlo, 27, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for his role in the conspiracy.  

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

Jeovani Lopez ignored a red light, police said

NEWARK-- A 25-year-old city man was arrested early Tuesday morning after police said he was found in possession of a handgun.

Patrolling officers saw Jeovani J. Lopez speed through a red light near Summer and Montclair avenues around 2 a.m., the department said in a statement. After officers pulled the vehicle over, they allegedly observed Lopez place a handgun in the back. The loaded gun was retrieved and Lopez was placed under arrest.

He has been charged with unlawful possession of a weapon and possession of a defaced weapon. He was also issued motor-vehicle summonses.

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

Digga implied that Minaj's ex wrote her lyrics

It looks like Drake isn't the only rapper being accused of letting others write his lyrics.

The issue of artists not writing their own lyrics has become a flashpoint in hip-hop, so when Newark rapper Rah Digga recently indicated that she thinks Nicki Minaj doesn't write all of her own lyrics, the claim received a fair amount of attention. 

After she got into it on Twitter Wednesday with a Minaj fan, Digga, a former member of Busta Rhymes' Flipmode Squad, questioned if Minaj's rhymes were penned by her ex, the rapper Safaree Samuels.

"You definitely can't wash Nicki Minaj," the fan had tweeted. "I put my life on it that Nicki will kill you lyrically."

"w/ her lyrics or Safaree's??" Digga replied. "Quit while you ahead bro...u got 8 lives left..."

The exchange made Digga a trending topic on Twitter, where fans of Minaj, 33, and Digga, 41, squared off. Those familiar with Digga's music defended her to younger listeners who were perhaps not as well acquainted with the Newark artist's legacy as a prominent female rapper who broke through to the mainstream in the late '90s and early aughts. 

Digga seemed amused when she began trending -- aided, in part, by the fact that the rapper Kid Cudi had also decided to tweetstorm on Wednesday about his displeasure with Kanye West and Drake, artists who have also been associated with having a team of writers. But she warned that the hubbub over her comment could become something else -- actual lyrical beef -- if the attention it drew couldn't be defused. 

"But I would advise yall not to gas it too much longer...the LAST thing yall want is for this to pour over into music... this I PROMISE!" she tweeted.

Minaj has yet to respond.

Here's what the tweeting public had to say about the would-be beef. A large part of the conversation seemed to revolve around shock that some (likely younger) Minaj fans claimed to be unfamiliar with Digga. 

Today, smart phones make it easy, expected, in fact, to take a picture of everything and anything.

I love photographs, and I especially love poring through old photographs.

I just wish more of them were my own.

Picture-taking is such a common part of our lives today that it hardly requires a second thought. Camera phones make it so easy to record everything that's going on to share with others.

You look away for just a second ... and it's pie-time for the dog.Courtesy of the Hatala family 

But it wasn't so easy in the 1960s and 1970s when I was growing up. Cameras had limited shots on their film rolls, and there was no way of knowing if the picture had come out until it was developed. Film cost money, and so did developing. Polaroid instant cameras were relatively expensive as was the film, and kind of bulky to carry around.

I think a lot of this added up to getting only "perfect shots" and "special events."

Yet for all the pretty bulky eight-track tapes I kept in my car, it never occurred to me to keep a little Instamatic camera and fire off a few shots every now and again of hanging out with friends.

Today, smart phones equipped with cameras and huge memory make it easy, expected, in fact, to take a picture of everything and anything. Candid photos, therefore, are shot all of the time these days.

MORE: Vintage photos around New Jersey

So, perhaps candid photos taken in "the old days" are all the more valuable.  I truly wish I had more than just mental memories of classic moments that could have been recorded on film, but weren't.

Here's a gallery of pictures taken by people who did bring along their cameras to capture vintage slices of life in New Jersey. Make sure captions are enabled to know all there is to know about these classic snapshots.

Can't get enough? Here's a link to our last candid gallery.

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

Take a look at where the top runners in N.J. are ranked

Who is No. 1 in this week's rankings?

The 81-year-old Newark man says his pharmacist gave him someone else's medication.

Scott is being treated at St. Barnabas Medical Center. (File photo)
 

NEWARK -- An elderly city man is reportedly in the hospital, suffering from a severe reaction to medication he was never supposed to take.

According to a News 12 report, Marquette Scott, 81, picked up what he thought was a prescription for medication to treat a urinary tract infection from a Walgreens in Newark. But, Scott told News 12 he was given someone else's prescription, and suffered burns and blisters after taking it.

He assumed he was given the right medication, and did not read the pill bottle, the report said.

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Walgreens did not respond to a request for comment on the alleged incident.

St. Barnabas Medical Center staff confirmed that Scott is being treated at the facility. He has refused further media interviews about the incident.

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

The Green, a 140-unit mixed use complex on Broad Street, has started renting.

BLOOMFIELD -- You can make it from the Bloomfield stop to New York Penn Station in about half an hour.

That quick mass transit accessibility to New York - which is driving development in so many of New Jersey's suburbs - has spurred the latest in a string of residential developments in Bloomfield.

The Green, a 150,000 square foot mixed-use complex on Broad Street in Bloomfield, a short walk away from the township's train station, is no exception to the trend. 

Located across the street from Bloomfield College and in the midst of downtown shops and restaurants, The Green's developers say it suits an increasingly sought-after lifestyle.

Could East Orange be next 'it' spot for millennials? 

"The building promises to be a centerpiece for a new era in Bloomfield, as the township continues to evolve into one of the region's most sought-after transit hubs," said Jonathan Schwartz, a partner at the BNE Real Estate Group development firm.

The complex, which started leasing units around Labor Day, is made up of 140 luxury apartments, and 10,575 square feet of retail space on its ground floor. The developer declined to comment on which retailers might move into the five spots inside the building.

The Green is the latest in a handful of new developments in Bloomfield - and of dozens in nearby towns like it - that are meant to capitalize on a trend, especially among young professionals, to live in quasi-urban environments with easy mass transit access.

"Bloomfield has seen a tremendous amount of new development in our downtown area over the past few years that is revitalizing our community," said Mayor Michael Venezia - who used the uptick in development as a campaign point during a contentious primary election this spring.

"The Green project is another exciting addition to Bloomfield that has transformed an underutilized property into a multi-use development that will provide both retail and residential opportunities, fulfilling our vision of growing the municipal tax base and keeping property taxes stable."

According to a township spokesman, the project received a 30-year tax abatement as part of an ongoing initiative to spur development. The exact financial parameters of the agreement were not immediately made clear.

BNE declined to divulge the full cost of the project, which is built on the site of demolished commercial buildings.

Leasing, Schwartz said, has already started at a steady stream, "supportive of the unprecedented demand for luxury residential options in walkable downtown areas near public transportation."

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

The Newark man left to die beneath a mattress weighted down with cinder blocks behind a North Bergen gas station struggled to save himself and left a bloody trail as he crawled toward Tonnelle Avenue before dying on New Years Eve 2012.

JERSEY CITY -- The Newark man left to die beneath a mattress weighted down with cinder blocks behind a North Bergen gas station struggled to save himself and left a bloody trail as he crawled toward Tonnelle Avenue before dying on New Years Eve 2012.  

The disturbing images were shown to the jury this morning at the murder trial of Mark Browne -- one of six people charged in the death of 24-year-old Darryl Williams. The victim's body was found by a passerby behind a gas station on Tonnele Avenue near Route 3.

According to pictures shown to the jury and testimony from Matthew Stambuli of the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office Homicide Squad this morning, Williams had been brutally beaten and his hands were bound behind his back. Duct tape was also wrapped around his throat and mouth, and a pillowcase had been placed on his head when he was left beneath the mattress. 

The images show the cinder blocks still on the mattress and Williams lying dead some 20 or 30 feet away, with a zigzag of blood streaks on the ground between him and the mattress. Williams wasn't wearing shoes, while his pants and other items of clothing had come off as he struggled to crawl away, leaving his elbows and knees covered in abrasions. 

A crisscross of tire tracks was also found in the blood and blood was smeared on the side of a nearby U-Haul truck. A glove was also beside the mattress and there was a matching glove beneath the mattress. A bloody scarf lay nearby, as well. 

Officials have said they believe Williams was severely beaten with a table leg in Newark. Stambuli said investigators recovered security video of the vehicle they believe was used to bring his body to the North Bergen location.

When Daeshawn Jennings was sentenced last year for his part in the killing, authorities said Jennings was asking for money outside of a Newark chicken restaurant when people inside the restaurant offered to pay him to help with a "cleanup." 

Jennings said he got into a car with the people who had been in the restaurant, drove to the victim's home, and attacked him with a table leg. After Williams was beaten, he was tied up and driven to the gas station, officials said.

Jennings was sentenced to 18 years in state prison for aggravated manslaughter, while Kathleen Jones was sentenced to 12 years in prison in July after pleading guilty to the same charges.

Also charged in Williams' death are Qudeera Adams, Nydia Mozee, and Latoya Mozee, all of Newark. They await trial. 

Officials previously said Latoya Mozee was in a relationship with the victim. It was believed the couple had been in a physical altercation prior to Williams' fatal beating. 

Also today, a forensic pathologist testified Williams suffered blunt force trauma that cause abrasions and lacerations to his forehead; skin tears on both eyelids; hemorrhaging in his left eye; lacerations on both ears; cuts to his upper and lower lips; chipped teeth; a laceration to his nose; bruises to his left temple, cheek and chin, and more.

Browne faces 30 years to life if convicted.

The forensic pathologist is expected to give the cause and manner of Williams death when she continues testifying before Hudson County Superior Court John Young in the Hudson County Administration Building in Jersey City.

Investigators have not determined the cause of death

Firefighters discovered a body in a building on Lakeside Avenue in Orange Sept. 1, 2016, officials said. (Photo: Google Maps) 

Firefighters discovered the body of Robin West on Sept. 1 when they were battling a blaze at a building on Lakeside Avenue, between Watchung and Mt. Vernon avenues, according to prosecutor's office spokeswoman Katherine Carter. West was identified Tuesday using dental records.

West's last known address was in Chester, Pennsylvania, and she was reported missing to the Union Police Department, the spokeswoman added. Squatters used the building before the fire, but it was unclear how West ended up at the scene.

Newark cops arrest alleged armed robber, seek 2 others

The circumstances surrounding the incident remained under investigation Thursday. Authorities have not determined the cause and manner of how West died.

Additional details were not immediately released.

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

See if you can get a perfect seven in our weekly test of who knows local news.

Is this the week you finally get a perfect score in the weekly New Jersey news quiz? If not, you have no excuse: All of the questions are based on the most popular NJ.com local stories of the past week. As if that wasn't enough, we've teed up all of the stories we used to create the questions below. Once you're done with the quiz below, brag on your score in comments, Twitter and Facebook.

• Paterson's great falls to go dry
• A tiki bar in a state park? Not everyone is toasting
• Woodrow Wilson players, coaches kneel for national anthem
• A record 9,506 students skipped vaccines
• Another N.J. insurance company drops out of Obamacare
• ACLU has a message for Newark
• Savvy Miss Arkansas wins the crown

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

Newark residents believe they're close to getting a parking lot shut down after the state Appellate Division ruled that the owner should not have been given approval to operate.

Nobody would listen to them - even though a group of Newark residents, some who happen to be planners and architects, know a thing or two about why surface parking lots are not good for neighborhoods.

The city's Zoning Board of Adjustment didn't agree with their argument when it voted, in 2012, to grant McWhorter LLC a variance to build a parking lot on McWhorter Street in the Ironbound section.

The city's administration, despite a report from its own planner, who also opposed the parking lot, went along with the board. The City Council did nothing as well, declining to hold an appeal hearing that residents requested.

Lastly, the residents, who call themselves "PLANewark" were turned down in court when they tried to stop McWhorter LLC from building the lot on the 1.25-acre site. A law division judge said the zoning board did not act arbitrarily or capriciously when it approved the variance.

MORE: Recent Barry Carter columns  

But after four years of waiting, the residents learned that the state Appellate Division believes they had valid points in opposing the parking lot.

"We agree, reverse the trial court's order and vacate the resolution of the Board granting the variance and site plan approval,'' the court wrote in its ruling last month.

A three-judge panel rejected arguments from McWhorter LLC, concluding that opinions of the planner it hired were legally unsound and unsupported.

"Everyone just ignored us,'' said Madeline Ruiz, a Newark resident and architect, who has been critical of the board "handing out variances like candy.''

Residents believed their reasoning was convincing enough to stop the 13th parking lot situated between the Prudential Center and the rear of Penn Station. Of their many points, residents said parking lots are not a permitted use under the city's ordinance. They said the new parking lot would increase traffic on Ferry Street and discourage pedestrians from walking and shopping. They argued that parking lots are islands for crime at night, and that the usage does not jibe with the city's master plan, which calls for underground parking and development to be a mix of commercial, office and residential projects.

Most important, the PLANewark residents insisted - and the appellate judges agreed - that McWhorter LLC failed to prove that the parking lot would be a positive benefit to the neighborhood, and that it would not negatively impact the community or go against the master plan.

"The city of Newark should have been so much more supportive,'' Ruiz said. "This is enormous.''

Frank J. Petrino, attorney for McWhorter LLC, could not be reached for comment, but lawyers for the city, the zoning board and the residents said McWhorter LLC is filing an appeal to the state Supreme Court.

Manual Lopez, principal owner of McWhorter LLC, also could not be reached for comment. 

What does this decision ultimately mean? The parking lot, which has been in business for three years, shouldn't be operating, said Renee Steinhagen, attorney for PLANewark.

She has written to Ade Afolabi, the city's zoning officer, asking Newark to tell McWhorter LLC to stop using the land as a parking lot.

Gary Lipshutz, assistant corporation counsel for Newark, said he couldn't comment on the PLANewark request because the property owner has filed a motion to stay the judgement of the Appellate Division and submitted a petition for certification with the Supreme Court.

"For that reason, we would decline comment on ongoing litigation,'' he said.

Rosemarie Ruivo, a zoning board member who represents the Ironbound, said the board should abide by the Appellate Division ruling.

"I just don't want the owner to abandoned the property, because that's the front door to the Ironbound,'' Ruivo said. "I'm hoping something positive comes out of it.''

"We have to open dialogue with the owner of the site to come up with something that works,'' said Anker West, a resident and architectural designer. "Hopefully, this (decision) will put the brakes on any future plans to do parking like this.''

How this parking lot fight started requires some replay.

Lopez, who owns several surface parking lots in Newark, received approval from the zoning board in 2006 to demolish an industrial building at 28 McWhorter St. He had planned to construct a seven-story, mixed use building, with a parking garage, commercial and retail space, and residential units.

When the economic recession hit, Lopez testified during a board hearing that he was not able to develop the project. He rented the building to a church for five years, instead of demolishing it.

In the sixth year - make that May 2012 - Lopez went back to the zoning board seeking permission to demolish the building in order to use the land as a parking lot.

MORE CARTER: Will the water in Newark schools be safe to drink this year? 

The following September, the city's acting planner, Nancy Gould, advised the planning board that she would not recommend the parking lot project be granted a variance.

"It is the opinion of the city that a surface parking lot in this location would detract from the walkability of the neighborhood, create a hazard to pedestrians and otherwise negatively impact the quality of life for residential and institutional uses,''she wrote in a memo to the board.

The board did not concur. But the appellate division saw differently.

"The court methodically went through what was presented and it made remarks about how the board of adjustment didn't really do much fact finding itself,'' Steinhagen said.

While it is unknown what will happen at the Supreme Court, this much is inarguable: The residents stuck together in this Goliath-style fight. And they didn't mind being a warrior like David, the biblical little guy with the slingshot and some stones.

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

BELLEVILLE — Nikolai is a 2-year-old cat in the care of DAP's Animals who was rescued from a park in Newark. When he was found, his fur was shaved. Nikolai, whose fur is growing back, has been described as a "wonderful, calm lap cat." Nikolai is FeLV-positive, but the rescue group points out that FeLV cats can live long lives;...

Nikolai 

BELLEVILLE -- Nikolai is a 2-year-old cat in the care of DAP's Animals who was rescued from a park in Newark.

When he was found, his fur was shaved. Nikolai, whose fur is growing back, has been described as a "wonderful, calm lap cat."

Nikolai is FeLV-positive, but the rescue group points out that FeLV cats can live long lives; he must be an only-cat in a home, however.

Nikolai has been neutered and is up-to-date on shots.

For more information on Nikolai and other adoptable pets, call 973-902-4763 or email dapsanimals@gmail.com. Dap's Animals is a volunteer foster/rescue organization currently caring for 45 animals. For information on other animals adoptable through Dap's, go to petfinder.com/pet-search?shelterid=NJ694.

Shelters interested in placing a pet in the Paw Print adoption column or submitting news should call 973-836-4922 or email essex@starledger.com.

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

 

There are nearly 9,000 people in New Jersey who are registered with the state medical marijuana program.

TRENTON -- There are 9,000 people in New Jersey who are registered to receive medical marijuana, a number that is likely to grow with Gov. Chris Christie's decision Wednesday to add post-traumatic stress disorder to the list of qualifying illnesses for the program.

Veterans and patient advocacy groups created petitions and offered emotional pleas at public hearings to encourage the governor to sign the PTSD bill. They've argued marijuana helps relieve pain, muscle spasms and anxiety associated with their emotional and physical injuries.

Christie to let PTSD sufferers get medical marijuana

People diagnosed with one of six diseases qualify for medical marijuana with their physician's recommendation:

• Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or Lou Gehrig's disease;
• Multiple sclerosis;
• Terminal cancer;
• Muscular dystrophy;
• Inflammatory bowel disease including Crohn's disease;
• Any terminal illness with a prognosis less than a year

Other patients with these illnesses qualify if a doctor verifies that traditional medical treatment has failed:

• People with seizure disorders including epilepsy,
• Intractable skeletal muscular spasticity;
• Glaucoma;
• PTSD;
• HIV, AIDS and cancer if people suffer from severe and chronic pain, vomiting and nausea and wasting syndrome.

The program is also likely to draw more participants because the first cannabis-infused topical products went on sale at a dispensary in Camden County last Friday. Patients have long said they want an alternative to smoking or making their own cannabis oil.

Compassionate Sciences in Bellmawr offers two lotions, and "sales are brisk and promising," according to George Schidlovsky, the executive director. The nonprofit dispensary will begin selling lozenges later this month.

The list of diseases and conditions could expand. A newly-appointed medical review panel will consider other suggestions and make recommendations to Health Commissioner Cathleen Bennett, who has the final say whether any illnesses are added.

The review panel will hold a public hearing that will allow people who submitted a petition an opportunity explain their requests, although a hearing date has not been decided yet, Leusner said.

Susan K. Livio may be reached at slivio@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @SusanKLivio. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.

13 hot takes from Week 2.

A new riff on Mexican food has attracted a devoted following at this North Jersey spot.

The tantalizing scent of meat on the grill from his youth in Monterrey, Mexico, stayed with Mario Valadez throughout the years and relocation to Maplewood.

It has inspired him in many creative ways at his "modern Mexican" 40-seat restaurant, Abril Cocina, where there are no standard-issue tacos or burritos on the menu and everything is made in-house with great pride.

The charred Caesar salad ($10.50) is a delightfully smoky variation, lifted from ho-hum tried-and-true to quite a different dish with crispy anchovies and slices of red onion pickled to the point of pinkness.

A gobernador taco ($5) features a shrimp skewered with a corn husk that is briefly flamed. Adding to the ambience is charred corn, while creamy Mexican asadero cheese smooths out everything.

I was wary of ordering a brisket taco ($4.75), imagining the messy way the tortilla would fall apart as I took a bite of meat that needed a lot of chewing. I wasted a worry. The beef is braised to the proper degree of tenderness.

"The biggest key is taking it out at the right time," revealed chef de cuisine Johangel Rosario.

The other ingredients in the taco, a few pieces of pickled celery, garlic crema and mustard seed, add appropriate contrast without disturbing the dominance of the brisket.

Beef is a staple in Monterrey, so Valadez is an expert in how to work with it. A hanger steak ($21) is marinated in chile, soy sauce, oil and garlic to make it tender. The sauce has much the same flavor profile, and sweet fresh corn grits complement that profile. Green beans and a pickled red onion add other dimensions for a well-rounded taste experience.

Hanger steak with fresh corn grits, pasilla-umami sauce and pickled red onion at Abril Cocina.Steve Hockstein|For NJ Advance Media 

If you're into smaller plates, the $14 colossal crab "in a can" salad (not really a can, a round metal plate with low sides) features huge lumps of crab set off by alluring swirls of avocado spiked by pico de gallo and a ponzu aioli. It was served nicely, on a wooden cutting board with toasted slices of rye bread on the side.

Don't miss the guacamole ($10) and chips; the avocado mixture has notes of serrano pepper, tomato, red onion (a fave here) and cilantro. The salsa, meanwhile, is a smooth blend, slightly spicy, and completely unlike the chopped variety of this dish that is standard issue.

Desserts are simple. Mexican hot chocolate ice cream made with cocoa powder works with caramelized sugar-coated plantains ($6) for an interesting, albeit sticky, riff on bananas Foster. Banana pudding with cookies ($5) contributed a smooth ending to the meal.

Rosario and Valadez, who is also the executive chef, met when they attended the Institute of Culinary Education. Valadez had always wanted to cook seriously, but never found time while working in Mexico as an industrial engineer. After his wife, a banker, was transferred to the U.S., he went to the Institute. When he opened his restaurant in April 2015, he could weave multi-dimensional culinary threads into his basic knowledge of the less-complicated fare on which he grew up.

Rosario, who worked at Keen's Steakhouse and Tavern on the Green before coming to Maplewood, is of Dominican heritage and was inspired by his mother's cooking.

Executive Chef Mario Valadez (left) and Chef de Cuisine Johangel Rosario at Abril Cocina.Steve Hockstein|For NJ Advance Media 

"She took her time and tried to make things out of nothing and make them taste really good," he said.

"It didn't hit me until I went to culinary school that she was making something that was somewhat super fancy, but she was doing it her way, and making it delicious, like a shrimp bisque."

Service by a young staff is casual, in keeping with the style of the family-friendly restaurant, but we got good explanations of everything. At one point, our tacos were delivered at the same time as our entrees, but even on a small table, we managed.

The place is super-popular, so come early on weekends (before 6 p.m. or so) if you don't want to wait. Or you can leave your phone number at the restaurant and have them text you when your table is ready. Be aware that it's noisy when crowded.

Eat with an open mind at Abril Cocina, which also happens to be a real value, and you'll be amply rewarded.

IF  YOU GO

Abril Cocina, 175 Maplewood Ave., Maplewood. 973-327-2023. abrilcocina.com. Hours: 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Wednesdays-Saturdays; 5-9 p.m. Tuesdays-Thursdays, 5-10 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. and 4-8 p.m.Sundays. BYOW

Cody Kendall may be reached at CodyDine@aim.com. Follow Cody on Twitter@CodyDine. Find NJ.com/Entertainment on Facebook.

Arrest was made in a ongoing gun trafficking case, according to Essex County sheriff.

Yeudanier 'Papi' Arias, 33 (Photo: Essex County jail) 

Essex County sheriff's detectives, working with Bloomfield and Irvington police, were conducting surveillance near Stuyvesant and Clinton avenues when they spotted Yeudanier 'Papi' Arias carrying a bookbag and speaking to a passenger in a van outside his home, Sheriff Armando Fontoura said in a statement. As Arias walked away and looked inside the bag, detectives spotted the handle of a gun.

Officers stopped Arias and recovered a loaded, .32 caliber, Waffenfabrik Mauser semi-automatic handgun and a fully loaded, 9mm, Jimenez Arms semi-automatic handgun in the bag, Fontoura added. The .32 caliber weapon was reported stolen out of Union City.

Arias, a Costa Rican national, was charged with unlawful weapons possession and possession of stolen property. Fontoura said the 33-year-old was ordered jailed at the Essex County Correctional Facility in lieu of $60,000 bail.

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

Look back at Week 1's highlights and the big stories headed into Week 2

WEEK 2 CONFERENCE
SCHEDULES/SCOREBOARDS
(Pages automatically update with links as scores come in)
• Greater Middlesex Conference
• Mid-State 38 Conference
• North Jersey Interscholastic Conference
• North Jersey Super Football Conference
• Shore Conference
• West Jersey Football League

WEEK 2 ESSENTIALS
• 13 bold predictions for Week 2
• Friday's LIVE Coverage, results and links
• Saturday's LIVE Coverage, results and links
• Top 20 for Sept. 11
• Our Week 2 Top 20 picks
• Our Week 1 picks by conference
• Our predictions for every Week 2 game
• 15 can't miss games in Week 2
• What you need to know heading into Week 2
• NJSIAA power points through Sept. 11
• Complete statewide group and conference rankings
• Confusion, heated debate leaves double power-point regulation in limbo
• Vote for the best Week 1 play

RELATED: Who has the best student section? Nominate your school now

WOODROW WILSON KNEELS FOR ANTHEM
• Tiger players, coaches kneel to bring attention to social injustices and economic disparities
• Passionate opinions about Wilson's decision
• Camden School District supports coach, players
• Camden Diocese will suspend players who kneel for anthem
• Camden coach Dwayne Savage has mixed emotions
• Florida principal will eject student fans who don't stand for anthem, report says

GAMES OF THE WEEK
• Star-Ledger: Bridgewater-Raritan at Hillsborough
• South Jersey Times: St. Augustine at Williamstown
• Trenton Times: 2 games selected

OTHER MUST-READ STORIES

• 13 bold predictions for Week 2
• Kingsway to honor 37-year coach Tony Barchuk
• 11 games that will determine No. 1
• Kinnelon cancels game over hand-foot-and-mouth disease outbreak
• Unprecedented outbreak reaches fourth school
• Former Elizabeth coach John Quinn now Plainfield Supervisor of Athletics
• 7 players to watch in No. 1 St. Peter's matchup with Peddie
• No. 3 Bergen Catholic plays football the Jersey way
• Rahmir Johnson is Bergen Catholic's do-it-all player
• How to watch Arhbishop Moeller (OH) vs. Don Bosco Prep, Saturday, 7
• Will Jabril Peppers be a Top-10 pick in next NFL draft?
• Jersey guy Jonathan Casillas enjoying career resurgence with Giants
• Peddie coach Chris Malleo: "SPP the greatest team I've ever seen on film
• N.J. alums who made noise NFL Opening Week
• Bergen Catholic alum tears ACL in NFL game
• N.J.'s Kenny Britt joins national anthem protest
• N.J. alums who made impact in college football
• 2 new additions to Player of the Year Watch
• Injured Bergen Catholic QB Johnny Langan will be game-time decision
• Meet some of N.J.'s top potential QBs from Lucien Pass Academy
• Week 1 helmet sticker winners
• TRE, Central out of playoffs after ejections
• Scouting uncommitted seniors: Paramus Catholic's Drew Singleton

Bill Evans can be reached at bevans@njadvancemedia.com or by leaving a note in the comments below. Follow him on Twitter @BEvansSports. Find the NJ.com High School Football page on Facebook by following this link.

Hundreds came out to see Buzz Aldrin's former middle school renamed in his honor on Friday.

MONTCLAIR -- He sat in a folding chair in the front row outside his former middle school wearing a grayish-blue suit, sunglasses, and a variety of golden rings on his fingers, and brackets on his wrists.

Buzz Aldrin, the Apollo 11 astronaut who walked the moon with fellow astronaut Neil Armstrong in July 1969, gathered with hundreds of people who came to see the middle school renamed in Aldrin's honor.

The crowd cheered and applauded, proud to have its native Montclair hero return.

Top federal, state and local officials were in attendance to express their excitement.

"My time at Mt. Hebron was a very special time. I entered the seventh grade, and it led to the maturing ... the competitive spirit and desire to win," Aldrin said.

Susan Shurr and her husband Vincent, who live just a short distance from the middle school, were at the event and wore beaming smiles to be a part of such an exciting moment for the township.

"We've lived in town for 18 years, just a couple blocks away -- how could we not participate in this?" she said. "It's Buzz Aldrin. It's a good thing for the community."

He jokingly admitted that he had spent some time "monkeying around" in school before finding a serious desire to become a aviation test pilot and then a U.S. Navy pilot.

"Maybe I goofed off a little, maybe I had become aware of girls," he said, with a chuckle.

But, he said his time at Mt. Hebron prepared and helped him develop his ambition to strive for monumental feats.

Paul J. Fishman, U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey, was also in attendance and spoke before the large, cheering crowd.

Fishman said his job affords many thrills, but meeting Aldrin was something he'd never forget.

"We deal with terrorists, gangs, people who steal millions of dollars," Fishman said, "but this is the coolest thing I have ever done."

Aldrin has been a staunch and vocal advocate for humankind to take its next interplanetary leap -- colonizing Mars. He has repeatedly called for an international partnership to colonize the Red Planet, which he is confident will happen sometime within the next 30 years.

Buzz Aldrin Middle School will retain its theme as a STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) magnet school.

Focusing on STEM education is another passion of Aldrin's -- to further invigorate and inspire the young minds to take space exploration to the outer limits.

Aldrin was born in Montclair in 1930, and is no stranger to the township, often returning to visit

He was scheduled to visit HackensackUMC Mountainside Hospital, where he was born, later in the day on Friday.

Spencer Kent may be reached at skent@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @SpencerMKent. Find the Find NJ.com on Facebook.

WEST ORANGE — This photo, taken in the Eagle Rock Reservation in 1904, shows folks out for a stroll and five men tucked away in the high grass perhaps reading or just people watching. According to eaglerockreservation.org, the reservation consists of 408 acres of hills, streams, and valleys located on the borders of West Orange, Verona and Montclair. This photo...

WEST ORANGE -- This photo, taken in the Eagle Rock Reservation in 1904, shows folks out for a stroll and five men tucked away in the high grass perhaps reading or just people watching.

According to eaglerockreservation.org, the reservation consists of 408 acres of hills, streams, and valleys located on the borders of West Orange, Verona and Montclair.

This photo points east toward Eagle Rock from a spot near the intersection of Prospect and Eagle Rock avenues in West Orange.

If you would like to share a photo that provides a glimpse of history in your community, please call 973-836-4922 or send an email to essex@starledger.com. And, check out more glimpses of history in our online galleries Thursdays on nj.com.

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