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Sweet school spirit: Contest will decide Montclair State's official doughnut

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Students will have through Halloween to submit doughnut ideas.

MONTCLAIR -- It is perhaps the tastiest form of school spirit yet.

Montclair State University has partnered with local bakery the Montclair Bread Company to run a contest that will create an official "Montclair State Doughnut." Through Halloween, the school is encouraging students to submit recipe ideas for doughnuts that represent the school.

"We've seen some really good ones," said Antonio Talamo, the coordinator of commuter student programs and services. There have been more than 100 entries so far.

Some stand-outs, he said, have been based off of the school's tagline, "it's all here," its mascot, Rocky, and, of course, contain flavors and ingredients that match the school's signature red color.

10 great N.J. doughnut shops

Once a panel of "doughnut experts" at the school and bakery chooses the winning recipe, Montclair Bread Company will add it to its menu from Nov. 28 through Dec. 2.

The secret to crafting a good and unique doughnut, according to Cori Naturale of the Montclair Bread Company, is to strike the right balance between ingenuity and flavor.

"We like things that are imaginative," she said. "(But), keep in mind that taste is really important. Sometimes crazy ideas don't translate well."

According to Talamo, the official school doughnut concept is a unique one among New Jersey colleges. Given the popularity it has had so far on the Montclair State campus, he said he would not be surprised if the idea spreads.

"We try to connect our students back to their school community," Talamo said. "This is a fun, light, delicious way to connect to campus."

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


Top football videos, Week 5: A ton of great plays, but we want more

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Check out some of the top plays of the week.

Drake postpones upcoming Newark, Philly concerts; needs ankle surgery

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"Hotline Bling" will have to wait

NEWARK -- Fans who purchased tickets to Drake's Sunday concert at Prudential Center in Newark will have to wait. 

The hip-hop superstar announced Tuesday morning he needs ankle surgery after more than 50 show dates this summer and is under doctor's orders to postpone his Sunday show, the last on his successful Summer Sixteen tour. The rapper will still play his Saturday show in Newark, however. 

A stop at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia Thursday has also been postponed. 

"I am crushed to even be typing this announcement because I feel like I am letting my fans in these cities down ... I will make it up to you," Drake wrote on his website.

No make-up dates have yet been announced. 

Bobby Olivier may be reached at bolivier@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @BobbyOlivier. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Man attacked off-duty cop, tried to take his gun in Newark, police say

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An off-duty EMS worker was also knocked unconscious in the melee, according to authorities.

NEWARK -- Authorities on Monday arrested a man for allegedly attacking an off-duty Port Authority police officer and knocking another man unconscious last year in the city's Ironbound section.

Lazaro SuarezLazaro Suarez, 31 (Photo: Dept. of Public Safety)

Lazaro Suarez, 31, of Newark, remained held at the Essex County jail Tuesday in lieu of $250,000 bail, according to county records.

Members of Newark's Fugitive Apprehension Team arrested Suarez without incident at a residence on Roseville Avenue, Public Safety Director Anthony Ambrose said.

The attack occurred Sept. 9, 2015 shortly before 3 a.m. when Suarez assaulted the 29-year-old off-duty Port Authority officer on the 500 block of Market Street, according to Ambrose. Suarez allegedly tried to take the officer's gun and the weapon went off in the air during the struggle.

Newark man arrested with loaded gun, drugs, authorities say

A 27-year-old off-duty EMS worker from Elizabeth was also beaten unconscious when he tried to intervene in the attack, authorities said. In the chaotic scene, bystanders restrained the off-duty officer, not realizing he was a police officer.

The injured Port Authority officer needed stitches to his face while the EMS worker was treated at the scene, according to police. It was unclear what prompted the assault.

City detectives recovered evidence at the scene and identified Suarez as the attacker, Ambrose said. Suarez was charged with aggravated assault and firearms offenses.

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

Swastikas painted at candidate's home reflect hate-filled election, he says

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Peter Jacob, a Democrat running in the 7th District, found the symbols spray-painted at his house twice this weekend

UNION -- A New Jersey congressional candidate who found painted swastikas at his home this weekend blamed the incident on national political rhetoric.

Democrat Peter Jacob, who is running in the 7th District against Republican incumbent Leonard Lance, said at a press conference outside his house that the climate created by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump was encouraging racism. 

"The rhetoric that we are hearing nationally is trickling down," said Jacob, who is Indian-American.

One of Jacob's neighbors first found two swastikas painted on the sidewalk outside Jacob's Colonial Avenue home Friday and called police.

Jacob then woke up Monday morning to see two more swastikas spray-painted next to a basement door on the back of the house. There was also neon orange-colored paint on the doorknob, which Jacob's campaign manager said could signal someone was trying to break in. 

Campaign manager Josh Levin said the Jacob family has installed surveillance cameras around the house since the incidents, and the police department has increased its presence in the neighborhood. 

Law enforcement is considering the swastika-painting an isolated incident and Union residents are not in any danger, Police Director Daniel Zieser said at the press conference with local politicians and faith leaders. 

Mayor Manuel Figueiredo told reporters the township would take these incidents seriously even if they had happened to a private citizen, instead of to congressional candidate.

"This is not reflective of what happens here in the Township of Union," he said. 

Union is one of Union County's most racially diverse communities. About 54 percent of its population is white, 29 percent is black and 11 percent is Asian, according to the most recently available census data. Hispanics of any race were 15 percent of the population. 

In a statement Monday, Lance called the swastikas "abhorrent" and said he had asked to attend Jacob's press conference but had not been invited.

Michael Kane, Jacob's communications manager, told MyCentralJersey.com on Monday that Lance would not be invited to the press conference "due to his support of Donald Trump."

Jacob on Tuesday denied this was the reason and said he had not invited Lance because he did not want to make the press conference a political event. 

"We as a community, we're standing together right now, and I am comfortable with this," Jacob said. 

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

Mom caught teaching toddler how to shoplift, cops say

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The Newark woman was arrested after the three kids, ages 2, 10, and 11, were caught stealing from Target, police said.

Fairfield Police.JPGPolice arrested the woman earlier this month. (Jessica Mazzola | NJ Advance Media at NJ.com) 

FAIRFIELD -- Police have arrested a woman who they say took her children along on a shoplifting spree, and was instructing them on how to assist her.

According to a release from the Fairfield police department, Elaine Lott, 28, of Newark, was arrested on Oct. 2 after store security officers at a Target on Route 46 noticed her and her children shoplifting items from the store.

When police responded to the scene, the three kids, ages 11, 10, and 2, had allegedly pushed a shopping cart filled with about $1,115 worth of merchandise out of the store without paying for it. They were found waiting with the cart by their car, authorities said. Police accused Lott of instructing her children to take the items.

Lott was found leaving the store a short time later with an additional $445 worth of stolen goods in her shopping cart, police said.

Lott was charged with shoplifting and employing a juvenile in the commission of a crime, and released of her own recognizance, pending a court date, police said.

The children were left in the custody of another adult who was at the store, but found not to be involved in the alleged shoplifting scheme, police said. Authorities also said they referred the incident to the New Jersey Division of Child Protection and Permanency for investigation.

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

Commuter who lost middle finger in crash moves to sue NJ Transit

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Lawyers for 66-year-old Shelden Kest announced they had filed a notice if tort claim, asserting the transit agency is responsible for its employee's failure to stop the train Watch video

NEWARK -- Sheldon Kest lost half the middle finger on his right hand in the Sept. 29 NJ Transit crash, so he's using a different gesture to let the agency know how he feels: a lawsuit.

Kest, a 66-year-old technology manager who lives in Tenafly, was on the Pascack Valley Line train when it crashed at Hoboken Terminal on Sept. 29, killing one person and injuring Kest and 107 others.

Graphic photographs displayed during a press conference Tuesday at the Hilton in Newark called by Kest's lawyers included one of him being led away from the train with blood running down his face, while another was a close-up of his finger stitched closed after being severed midway up.

The lawyers, Andrew Duffy and Tom Kline, filed a notice of tort claim against NJ Transit, a legal step required within 90 days of the incident and 6 months in advance of the actual suit's filing.

Passengers return to Hoboken station

Duffy and Kline both said it was clear from the NTSB investigation that the accident was the result of human error on the part of the engineer, who was traveling too fast when the train entered the terminal. As his employer, NJ Transit is legally liable, they said.

National Transportation Safety Board investigators said the engineer told them he could not recall what happened in the moments leading up to the crash, only that he woke up on the floor of the cab afterward.

"It's clear that the train was going too fast," said Kline, adding that the engineer's lack of "situational awareness" by no means absolved NJ Transit of liability. "The agency is, of course, responsible for the negligence or the failure of its employees."

An NJ Transit spokeswoman declined to comment.

The lawyers and Kest, who was accompanied by his wife, Lynda, also criticized NJ Transit for having failed to install positive train control rail safety technology, an automatic breaking system that some experts said might have prevented the crash.

They acknowledged that Congress had granted NJ Transit and other rail agencies a extension to install the PTC safety technology and that the deadline is still two years away. But Kest and his the lawyers criticized transit officials for having failed to make positive control a budget priority.

Asked whether he supported recent gasoline tax hike approved by the legislature to help pay for overdue transportation infrastructure projects, Kest replied: "I think safety should come first and transit systems should deal actively with safety issues, not reactively."

Asked whether the loss of his finger would prevent or inhibit his work or hobby, Kest said his job as a technology manager with a firm in Jersey City demanded that he type on his computer most of the day.

He recalled being on his way to work that morning, having recently returned to work  after a three-month absence following surgery in June for a knee injury he suffered in an accident in his garage.

He wasn't quite sure how he lost his finger or suffered the cuts on his face and head. He said he was sitting in an isle seat with his right hand in the empty middle seat next to him, when the train lurched violently, upon what he now assumes was its impact with the bumper at the end of Track 5.

He said the woman who had been sitting in the window seat to his right had somehow gotten out of the train through the window, and eventually he moved over to it and yelled out for help.

He said two EMTs helped him out of the train, then walked him to an ambulance, while the extent of his injuries still had not quite registered in his own mind. 

"I believe I was more in shock," he said. "I realized something was definitley wrong with my finger, and I knew that the top of my head was bleeding. And I noticed as we were walking to the ambulance that my shirt was bloody. So I knew that something serious had happened, but I didn't quite feel anything until I was at thehospital and things started settling in."

Lynda Kest recalls being at a hospital herself that morning to have some routine tests done, when she learned of the accident and her husband's condition from a phone message left by her son.

"Thank god he's alive," she recalled thinking, before heading to Jersey City Medical Center, where her husband was taken for treatment. "He had blood and cuts all around his eyes. And all I could think of was how lucky he was his eye was still there."

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

Man convicted of murder in Irvington slaying

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Prosecutors said Jerrell Alexander was captured on video tape when he shot and killed 18-year-old Mencea Ryner.

NEWARK -- An Essex County jury on Friday convicted a 22-year-old Irvington man of murder in the fatal shooting of an 18-year-old on Lincoln Place two years ago, the county Prosecutor's Office announced Tuesday.

JerrellAlexander.jpegJerrell Alexander (Courtesy Essex County Prosecutor's Office)
 

Prosecutors said Jerrell Alexander was captured on video tape on Nov. 18, 2014 when he rode up on his bicycle and shot Mencea Ryner four times with a laser-sighted .45-caliber handgun. The bullets struck Ryner's brain, heart and body, authorities said.

In addition to a charge of murder for Ryner's killing, the jury convicted Alexander of conspiracy to commit murder, unlawful possession of a handgun and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose.

Walker was also convicted of unlawfully possessing a 9mm handgun of the type prosecutors said was used in the shooting of two witnesses to Ryner's murder barely a month after his killing, on Dec. 17, 2014.

One of the witnesses, Jaime Walker, died of multiple gunshot wounds, according to the Prosecutor's Office. The other man, Davon Arrington, suffered a broken jaw and severed tongue from a single gunshot wound to the face but survived his injuries.

Alexander was charged but later acquitted of tampering with witnesses and conspiring to murder Walker. Another man, Jassiem Harper, 22, also of Irvington, was charged with murder in Walker's shooting and faces trial separately, prosecutors said.

Alexander was on probation for third-degree theft at the time of Ryner's murder.

"This defendant purposely and without regard for others opened fire on Mr. Ryner, fatally shooting him multiple times and putting others in danger," Assistant Prosecutor Justin Edwab said in a statement. "With this conviction the Township of Irvington is safer."

Alexander's sentencing has been scheduled for Dec. 5, prosecutors said. He faces 30 years to life in prison on the murder charge alone.

Thomas Moriarty may be reached at tmoriarty@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @ThomasDMoriarty. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

 

WATCH: 28 chow down in epic ramen eating contest

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The winner got a pair of Golden Chopsticks, good for a year of free ramen. Watch video

MONTCLAIR -- Move over hot dogs and pies, it's ramen's turn.

Twenty-eight competitors gathered at Ani Ramen House in Montclair Monday for the ultimate ramen-off. Competitors had 15 minutes to down as much ramen as possible.

"We were thrilled at the turnout and the enthusiasm at our first Slurp Sip Repeat Ramen Eating Competition," said Luck Sarabhayavanija, Ani Ramen's owner.

"It was a fun, exciting event and we were so happy to have such a great group of competitors."

The group included seasoned eaters, but it was a novice, Sebastian Voltarelli of Glen Ridge, who took home the title after slurping up nine-and-a-quarter bowls of ramen.

"I eat ramen when I'm home...I can eat a lot of it," Voltarelli, a realtor, said of the win.

His prize? The Ani Ramen Golden Chopsticks, good for a year of free ramen at the restaurant.

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

15-year-old carjacked woman at gunpoint before Newark crash, authorities say

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Woman driving with her 2-month old was seriously injured in the crash, according to police.

HILLSIDE -- A 15-year-old boy carjacked a woman at gunpoint in Hillside and led township police on a pursuit that ended when the stolen SUV crashed, seriously injuring a woman driving with her 2-month-old, authorities said Tuesday.

The teen, an Irvington resident, faces charges of carjacking and weapons offenses after he confronted a 36-year-old woman outside her home on Wolf Place, according to Detective Lt. Vincent Ricciardi of the Hillside Police Department.

"Give me, give me, give me," the teen reportedly told the woman while he pointed a gun at her as she walked to her house from her driveway around 8 a.m. Friday, police said. The teen took her car keys and fled in the woman's SUV.

Hillside detectives spotted the carjacked vehicle and tried to pull it over around 1:40 p.m. that day, Ricciardi added. Instead, the SUV speed away and police gave chase.

Man attacked off-duty cop, tried to take his gun, police say

Minutes later, the SUV crashed into an Audi at Bergen Street and Pomona Avenue in Newark, authorities said. A woman driving the Audi with her infant in a car seat suffered serious head injuries in the wreck.

The woman remained hospitalized Tuesday in stable condition, according to the Essex County Prosecutor's Office, which was investigating the crash.

Two Newark boys, 13 and 14 years old, were also in the stolen Toyota Highlander when it crashed, Ricciardi said. The driver apparently picked up the others after the carjacking.

One of the juveniles was treated and released from an area hospital, a prosecutor's office spokeswoman said.

Investigators recovered a red gun bag used in the initial carjacking and have not yet searched the wrecked SUV, the lieutenant added.

The 15-year-old was in custody at the Union County Juvenile Detention Center in Linden. Authorities said additional charges were expected. The teen's name was not released because of his age.

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

No one hurt when planes at Newark Liberty clip wings

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The incident occurred before 6 p.m. Tuesday

NEWARK -- Two airplanes at Newark Liberty International Airport were involved in a minor collision on the ground Tuesday afternoon, a spokesman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey confirmed. 

No one was hurt when the Lufthansa airplane made contact with a craft from United Airlines around 5:45 p.m., the spokesman, Joseph Pentangelo, also said. A United spokeswoman, Maddie King, said United Flight 88 from Beijing had landed and was at a stop when it was struck by the empty Lufthansa craft, which was being towed.*

No delays were reported at Newark following the incident. 

*CORRECTION -- An earlier version of this story reported that the Lufthansa airplane had been hit by the United craft. 

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

 

Man struck and killed by train in Newark

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No one else was injured

NEWARK -- A man died after being struck by a Northeast Corridor train near Penn Station Tuesday night, NJ Transit said. 

Train 3284 with about 200 passengers and crew aboard struck the man just west of the station around 10:30 p.m. No one else was injured and service was not interrupted. 

The man's name was not released. The incident remained under investigation Tuesday night. 

 

PTA: Newark high school is overcrowded & under-resourced

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While many point to universal enrollment as the source of overcrowding, a quick, easy fix is unlikely

NEWARK -- At least one Newark high school has been inundated with overcrowded classrooms and inadequate resources this year as a result of the district's universal enrollment plan, according to the school's parent teacher association.

But district officials, in an interview with NJ Advance Media, said the notion that universal enrollment is responsible for overcrowding is "absolutely, categorically false."

Standing in front of Central High School Tuesday morning, Wilhelmina Holder, president of the Secondary Parent Council, along with members of Newark's School Advisory Board and several advocacy groups, demanded district officials meet with school administrators to "immediately chart a self-correction path" for the institution.

The school is currently serving 949 students, yet for the 2016-2017 school year, it has only been budgeted for 850, according to a report issued by Central's PTA president, Shonda Holme.

Some teachers, the report said, have upwards of 40 students per class, but the district wasn't immediately able to verify any of those numbers.

According to district officials, there are 80 classroom teachers at Central, making the student-teacher ratio 12-1, up from 10-1 last school year. If two additional teachers are hired, as is needed, officials said, the ratio would come down to about 11-1.

"The problem has to do with the algorithm that's being used to place students in schools," said Leah Owens, a member of the city's School Advisory Board. "It's not clear how students are being placed (into each school). Families, different siblings are still getting split up, children are being placed in schools that don't actually have the resources that they need."

Christopher Cerf, superintendent of Newark Public Schools, said in a phone interview that Central High School is one of the schools in the district "that is modestly oversubscribed...there are more people who want to go there than there are seats."

While Cerf said the district has become more accurate in their projected student budgets, this year, projections for Central High School were "a little bit lower" than the number of children who actually applied and were assigned.

"Since we had more kids who wanted to go there than our original projections, we assigned extra kids to that school," Cerf said. "When that happens, we true up the budgets over time."

Cerf acknowledged that there may be classroom sections with higher numbers, due to small special education classes and electives, but said, ultimately, there is both sufficient space and staff to serve students at Central.

Additional resources and teachers will be sent to the school during the fall semester, Cerf said. And if there's more students than initially budgeted for, more money comes with it.

Owens, a former teacher at Central, said the issues at the high school are a "district-wide problem," and that the board is looking into enrollment numbers to see how many students each school was budgeted for, and how many students are actually enrolled.

In the meantime, she said, it's the students the district is letting down when schools, such as Central, go understaffed.

"(There's) a lot less one-on-one time with the teacher," Owens said. "It's very difficult to really assess where the students are and give them quality feedback when you have to grade so many papers."

During a recent school board meeting, the board voted on and passed a resolution to strike down universal enrollment, a decision which Superintendent Cerf said didn't offer any alternative to the current plan.

After consulting with a "number of board members" after the meeting, Cerf said he reached out to the state for advice on what to do next.

"The state preserved the status quo to enable further conversation to take place between me and the board," Cerf said. "That's kind of where we are on this."

Many opponents of the universal enrollment plan would like to see the district harken back to the way things were before former superintendent, Cami Anderson, introduced universal enrollment, but those days, said Antoinette Baskerville-Richardson, president of the advisory board, are long gone.

"We can't just say go back to (having) neighborhood schools, because some neighborhoods don't have schools," Baskerville-Richardson said, referring to a time when kids would register and attend schools closest to them. "We have to really take a scientific look at what exists now, look at the data, collect the data that we need, and figure out the best way to move forward in terms of enrollment issues in Newark."

Christopher Cerf.JPGActing Education Commissioner Christopher Cerf is pictured in Newark last year. (John Munson/The Star-Ledger)
 

Universal enrollment eliminated the need for parents to go from school to school filling out applications and participating in separate lotteries in the hopes of getting a spot in a particular school.

Baskerville-Richardson said it also eliminated the ability for parents to decide if their kids will end up at a school close to home.

"In this community, we have grandparents and great-grandparents who are raising their children and they may not have access to a car, they may not drive, they rely on public transportation" to get their kids to school, even if the child is enrolled in a school across town, Baskerville-Richardson said.

"Many people with lower income," she continued, "they don't have the ability to spend money to escort their child to school, or to come to the school after school for school events...so there's a real need, and a real cry in this community for neighborhood schools."

On Oct. 15, the district, said Brad Haggerty, Newark's chief academic officer, will be able to get a better picture of how many students are not only enrolled, but physically in each school.

"The beginning of the school year is marked by a fair amount of influx and outflux of students who are newly arriving to a city or a state, as well as students who may have been matched to that school who have no intention to enroll there because they've left (the district)," Haggerty said.

Once the district is able to assess "numbers with real meaning," Haggerty said, it'll be easier to allocate the appropriate resources.

"In the past, it's basically been solved I guess the way it'll have to be, hopefully, solved at Central High School this year," said Baskerville-Richardson. "Where there are students, teachers must be hired. And if there's not enough space, then creativity is used."

Michael Anthony Adams may be reached at madams@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MichaelAdams317. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Overturned tractor-trailer jams Route 21 traffic in Newark

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The driver suffered a minor injury, police said.

NEWARK -- An overturned tractor-trailer on Route 21 Wednesday morning caused traffic delays in the city, but no serious injuries were reported, police said.

Route 21.jpgAccident didn't cause serious injuries, police said. File photo. (Jerry McCrea | The Star-Ledger)

The truck was traveling on McCater Highway near Interstate 78 when it flipped over, police said. It is unclear what caused the crash.

The truck driver sustained a minor injury in the accident, police said. .

"It is likely to cause traffic delays until it is up-righted and removed," police department spokesman Capt. Derek Glenn said..

Authorities may shut down lanes of the highway to conduct the clean-up, he said.

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

Man who survived hit-and-run boat crash dies during recovery

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Edwin Lane suffered head injuries when a boat slammed into the rear of his boat on Greenwood Lake. A $22,000 reward has been issued for the identity of the driver.

WEST MILFORD - A longtime township resident who died at a physical rehab facility following a hit-and-run boating crash on Greenwood Lake had been recovering and was expected to survive, his wife said Wednesday.

Edwin Lane, 72, died of a heart attack on Saturday at the Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation in West Orange, according to Maureen "Mary" Lane. The couple would have been married 49 years on Friday.

Lane suffered head and other injuries when a speeding boat slammed into the rear of his 2003 18-foot Bayliner about 8:30 p.m on Labor Day, according to New Jersey State Police.

Authorities have offered a $22,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the driver.

N.J. State Trooper Alejandro Goez said charges against the other boater would be decided at a later time.

"That will be determined by the troopers who are conducting the investigation," Goez said.

N.J. man dies in motorcycle crash

Four people, including Lane, were hurt in the crash.

"He was doing very well," Maureen Lane said of her husband. "Then he died - his heart gave out. He never had a problem before with his heart."

Maureen Lane said family members are awaiting word of the official cause of death from the medical examiner.

Lane, who had two children and four grandchildren, was retired from a manufacturing and sales job, his wife said.

Funeral arrangements were expected to be announced Wednesday afternoon.

Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook.


Newark's deal with Rutgers will be national health care 'model,' mayor says

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While it remains unclear why Dr. Hanaa Hamdi resigned, the city will retain Rutgers medical center.

NEWARK -- Following the resignation of Newark's health director, an agreement to make Rutgers University's vice-chancellor her interim replacement was submitted for approval Wednesday morning to the municipal council, according a release from the mayor's office.

Dr. Hanaa Hamdi, who was named director of the city's Department of Health and Community Wellness in 2014, resigned last month, a spokesman for Mayor Ras J. Baraka's office told NJ Advance Media.

While it remains unclear why Dr. Hamdi resigned, an agreement has been reached between the city and Rutgers to name Dr. Denise V. Rodgers as interim director and retain the university's academic medical center as consultants to improve the department, its delivery of health services and its permanent leadership, a release from the city said.

Newark's Riverfront Park is growing

"This agreement with Rutgers University brings a world-class university and its academic medical center in as partners, advisers, analysts, leaders, consultants, and advocates for creating what I envision to be the finest public health department of any city in the nation," said Mayor Baraka in a statement.

"I expect that our example will set the standard for public/private partnerships in health care and be a model for other cities. I welcome Dr. Rodgers and the entire Rutgers team onto the Newark team."

Rodgers and the university's team--who will remain employed by the school, not the city--will provide consulting, expertise, guidance, and leadership to the city for six months, and assist in finding a permanent director, the release said.

A highly decorated physician, Rodgers received her bachelor's degree in psychobiology from Oberlin College, and her M.D. from Michigan State University's College of Human Medicine, the release said. She served as a professor of family and community medicine at University of California in San Francisco until 1997, and eventually served as the president of the University of Medicine and Dentistry in January 2012, until its reorganization in June 2013.

She later became director of the Rutgers Urban Health and Wellness Institute and vice-chancellor for Interprofessional Programs.

Michael Anthony Adams may be reached at madams@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MichaelAdams317. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Massive Newark drug crackdown results in 155 arrests

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Complaints increased after man allegedly caught with drugs in a car with 3-year-old, according to authorities.

ambrosePublic Safety Director Anthony Ambrose and Police Chief Darnell Henry in this file photo (Patti Sapone | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com) 
NEWARK -- Police arrested 155 people as part of an effort targeting drug trafficking in the city's Central Ward last month, officials announced Wednesday.

The arrests were largely for narcotic-related offenses and people wanted on various warrants, according to Newark Public Safety Director Anthony Ambrose.

He said complaints about open-air drug dealing in the area increased after a 28-year-old New York man was found with heroin, needles and a 3-year-old child in a car near the Oscar Miles Village housing complex.

"When the community speaks, we respond with swift, solution-oriented measures aimed at addressing their complaints," Ambrose said in a statement. "These arrests can be directly credited to the people of Newark assisting the department by acting as additional eyes and ears.

15-year-old carjacked woman at gunpoint before crash, authorities say

Officers with the Special Enforcement Bureau, traffic unit, local precinct, and on horseback were deployed in response to complaints in the Central Ward, the statement said.

"By taking ownership of their neighborhoods and working together with the police division the city's residents can help improve their communities and make them safer," Ambrose added. 

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

Baraka calls on N.J. mayors to unite around safe gun tech

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Mayor will take city's business elsewhere if gun manufacturers don't employ safe weapon technologies

NEWARK -- Mayor Ras J. Baraka has a message for the country's gun manufacturers: start employing safe weapons technologies, or the City of Newark will take its business elsewhere.

Surrounded by clergy and bi-partisan groups on the steps of Newark City Hall Thursday afternoon, Baraka called on all New Jersey mayors to convene before purchasing additional weapons for their law enforcement agencies and create a list of manufacturers who are listening to their concerns, chiefly: safer gun distribution practices and technologies.

"We put our money in places, with people who support what we think is right for our community," Baraka told NJ Advance Media following the press conference. "You're talking about over 560 municipalities in the State of New Jersey. If we can get a quarter of them to say, 'Look, we agree with this, and we're not going to purchase bullets, guns or whatever from these four or five manufactures until (they) do what we ask them to do.'"

One such technology is the "smart gun," a firearm programmed to be used only by the owner.

State Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg (D-Bergen), who joined the mayor Thursday, sponsored a bill last year that attempted to repeal a 2002 law requiring New Jersey firearms dealers to sell only smart guns three years after they are available on the market.

Because of the restrictiveness of the 2002 law, some 2nd Amendment activists attempted to thwart the advancement of smart gun technology, according to reports.

In a 2014 interview with MSNBC, Weinberg said would introduce a new bill to repeal the 2002 law if the National Rifle Association would agree not to stand in the way of smart gun technology.

Weinberg's bill would have required retailers that sell guns to carry at least one smart gun in their inventory three years after they're vetted by state authorities and are on the market, but they could also continue to sell traditional weapons.

Gov. Chris Christie vetoed the bill earlier this year, but Weinberg said she's not done fighting.

"I'm one of those grandmothers (who's sick and tired of being sick and tired)," Weinberg told those who'd gathered in front of city hall. "But I'm not so sick and tired to continue the work that needs to be done."

Representatives from the "Do Not Stand Idly By" campaign, which works to enact social change to strengthen local communities, also attended the press conference to reiterate its mission to work with local jurisdictions, like Newark, to use public purchasing power as a way to force gun manufacturers to do more.

According to a release from the campaign's parent organization, Industrial Areas Foundation, leaders of 104 municipalities (including 24 in New Jersey), counties and states have signed on to the movement. These jurisdictions, the release said, represent 40% of the gun market in the United States.

But when asked whether he'd forgo buying anymore guns until his demands were met, Baraka said that'd be unrealistic.

"We obviously have to buy guns," Baraka said. "What we want to do is unite with other mayors around the state to come up with some sensible demands for gun manufactures."

Michael Anthony Adams may be reached at madams@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MichaelAdams317. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Event benefits homeless animals, victims of domestic violence

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The event will benefit Seer Farms, a New Jersey pet sanctuary, and The Safe House, a domestic violence shelter.

milato.jpgMaria Milito of Q104.3 FM will be the event's special guest 

FAIRFIELD -- A benefit wine tasting event, "What About Me?" will be held at the Cucina Calandra Ballroom on Oct. 20 from 6 to 9 p.m.

The event will benefit Seer Farms, a New Jersey sanctuary that provides temporary care for pets owned by domestic violence victims who could not take their animals when leaving their abusers.

According to Jackson Galaxy, host of Animal Planet's "My Cat from Hell,"  "65 percent of women in abusive relationships will delay leaving that situation because they don't know what to do with their animal family member."

The event also benefits The Safe House, a domestic violence shelter in Belleville affiliated with Clara Maass Medical Center, and Only Kindness Rescue, a nonprofit animal rescue group in Wayne.

Maria Milito, a DJ at Q104.3 FM, will lead the wine tasting. Appetizers will be offered at the event, which will also include a silent auction.

Tickets are $50 and can be purchased online at onlykindnessrescue.org. The Cucina Calandra Ballroom is located in the Best Western Plus Fairfield Executive Inn at 216 Route 46 in Fairfield. For more information, call 973-897-7170.

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.

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Could Newark be given control of Harrison's fire department?

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Harrison may lose its fire department if the town and local fire union do not negotiate a state approved cost saving contract.

HARRISON -- Harrison could lose its fire department if the town and local fire union do not negotiate a state-approved contract that will trim the town's budget by $1.5 million. 

The West Hudson town was awarded $1.36 million in transitional aid last month from the Department of Community Affairs contingent on Harrison contracting the City of Newark to man its firehouse or successfully negotiating a similar contract with its current department. 

Harrison firefighters have been working without a contract since December. 

Mayor James Fife said the town's fire department is currently budgeted at $5 million, which includes insurance and pensions. Fife, who has served as mayor for the past two and half years, said the state wants the department to operate with a $3.5 million budget. 

In recent weeks, the town and fire union have agreed upon a new contract that Fife said falls between $700,000 and $800,000 short of the $1.5 million decrease the state is seeking. 

The mayor told The Jersey Journal the town does not want to lose its department and is working to avoid a Newark takeover. 

"They do a lot of stuff for us another department won't do," Fife said inside his office Tuesday morning. Each of the town's current firefighters are certified EMTs and will even help residents get to doctor appointments if they are unable to find medical transportation, Fife said. 

According to the town's transitional aid application with the DCA, the town was projected to pay its 29 firefighters $3,974,000 in salaries and wages alone for 2016 -- an increase of $303,425 from last year. 

Fife said if Newark was contracted to man Harrison's fire department, the Newark firefighters would work out of the Cleveland Avenue firehouse with the town's current equipment. He said Newark was likely selected by the state because it too collected transitional aid and has enough firefighters to cover Harrison. 

In the event of a takeover, the Harrison firefighters would be laid off. 

Newark's communication director Frank Baraff said there has been no formal discussion of the potential takeover, though the city is taking the state's request seriously.  

The Harrison Fire Department came under scrutiny in 2013 when multiple Hudson County departments accused the town of 15,000 residents of being too dependent on their help following a massive fire that injured five Jersey City firefighters. Fife said that was an isolated incident and the fire department works hard to serve the town. 

The expired contract the department is working on requires firefighters to work a full 24-hour shift followed by three days off from work. Fife said the union rejected the town's contract that would have given firefighters two days off after each shift.

A representative of the fire union could not be reached for comment. 

An official timeline for when a decision would be made was not yet known. Fife said he expects to hear back from the state sometime this week to see if the contract the town and union have agreed upon is satisfactory in the state's eyes and saves enough money to retain the department. 

Caitlin Mota may be reached at cmota@jjournal.com. Follow her on Twitter @caitlin_mota. Find The Jersey Journal on Facebook.

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