Shooting was city's second homicide of the year.

EAST ORANGE -- Officials on Tuesday identified the 35-year-old East Orange man who was gunned down in the city.

Pierre Collins was shot near Ashland Avenue and Prospect Terrace early Monday, according to the Essex County Prosecutor's Office.

The slaying marked the second murder in East Orange this year. Additional details on the killing were not immediately released.

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

The 36-year-old, known only as D.J., is mentally and physically handicapped, and unable to speak beyond making noises.

NEW BRUNSWICK -- A former Rutgers-Newark professor convicted of sexually assaulting a disabled man has appealed, arguing on Tuesday that a key expert barred from testifying would have convinced a jury the man could consent to sex.

The state, however, argued the judge's decision was just, calling the defense's expert the "godmother" of a "junk pseudoscience" that isn't recognized in the scientific field.

Anna Stubblefield, 47, of West Orange, is currently serving a 12-year prison term after being sentenced by Essex County Superior Court Judge Siobhan Teare in January 2016 for abusing a man with cerebral palsy in her Newark office in 2011.

The 36-year-old, identified only as D.J., is mentally and physically handicapped, and unable to speak beyond making noises.

Authorities said the former ethics professor had taken advantage of D.J.'s disability and raped him. In 2015, a jury agreed, convicting the woman on two counts of aggravated sexual assault after 45 minutes of deliberation. 

The next year, an Essex County judge awarded D.J.'s family $4 million in damages.

Supreme Court could reshape what gov't information you get to see

But Stubblefield's lawyer, James Patton, argued before in state appellate court Tuesday morning that the jury, not the judge, should have been able to decide whether or not D.J. could communicate through the controversial typing method, "facilitated communication."

Patton said the judge overreached by ruling defense expert Rosemary Crossley's testimony be limited to a handful of questions during trial and not allowing the jury to view the taped session between the two. The video showed Crossley testing D.J.'s communication by spending 12 hours with him over three days.

Crossley posed hundred of questions to D.J. and determined he could communicate, according to Patton.

"The evaluation made by the judge should have been made by a jury," Patton said before the three-judge panel. 

Essex County Assistant Prosecutor Kayla Elizabeth Rowe said the answers were not valid since the facilitator helps the person select answers, and knowingly or unknowingly moves toward the right answer.   

"It has a Ouija board effect," Rowe said.

The American Psychological Association's Council of Representatives ruled in 1994 the method was "controversial and unproved communicative procedure with no scientifically demonstrated support for its efficacy."

Patton argued that the judge didn't focus on the evaluation's graded questions, of which D.J. only got two wrong.

"The statistical odds of doing that by chance are astronomical," Patton said.

Patton also argued that two other witnesses who knew and worked with D.J. should have been allowed to testify. In addition, Patton asked appellate judges to rule that mitigating factors in sentencing be reconsidered.

The appellate court now has 90 days to rule on whether to uphold the trial judge's decisions.  

Craig McCarthy may be reached at CMcCarthy@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @createcraig and on Facebook here. Find NJ.com on Facebook. 

Find out how your school compares to the state's best.

TRENTON -- The average statewide SAT score in New Jersey's public high schools was 1,075 out of 1,600 last school year, the first year students participated in a redesigned exam, according to new state data.

Average overall scores among specific high schools ranged from a high of 1,506 to a low of 728. Statewide, the average score was a 537 on the reading section and a 538 in math.

Use the search tool at the bottom of this story to compare scores for any public high school. 

The newest SAT scores were released by the state Department of Education Tuesday as part of its annual School Performance Reports, an array of data that includes test scores, demographics and other information about every public school in the state.

Top colleges with the most N.J. freshmen

The scores reflect all SAT exams New Jersey students took during the 2015-16 school year. Scores from exams taken prior to March 2016 were converted to match the scoring for the new SAT exam that debuted that month, so schools' SAT scores cannot be compared to previous years. 

Though some colleges have moved away from using SAT scores in admissions decisions, the test remains a key element of student applications at most colleges. 

The scores, however, are strongly tied to demographics. Students are more likely to score well if they have parents who attended college and high family income, according to College Board data. 

In New Jersey, small academies or county vocational technical schools with selective enrollment dominate the list of highest scores. 

High Technology High School, a pre-engineering career academy for Monmouth County's top students, posted the highest average score, 1,506. 

Prior to March 2016, the SAT included sections in critical reading, mathematics and writing, each worth 800 points for a total of 2,400. 

The essay writing section is now optional, reducing the total score to the traditional 1,600. Students are no longer penalized for wrong answers and the infamous obscure vocabulary words were replaced with more common words, among other major changes. 

Carla Astudillo may be reached at castudillo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @carla_astudi. Find her on Facebook.

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

The two men are tied to the DeCavalcante crime family, which inspired the TV show, 'The Sopranos.'

NEWARK -- Two men associated with the DeCavalcante crime family will spend a combined 93 months in prison after admitting they sold drugs to an undercover FBI agent, Acting U.S. Attorney William E. Fitzpatrick announced in a release Tuesday.

Rosario Pali, 33, of Linden, was sentenced to 76 months in prison, and Nicholas DeGidio, 39, also of Union, to 17 months, after both admitted to playing roles in selling thousands of dollars worth of cocaine to the undercover agent.

They were arrested in 2015 along with eight other associates of the "La Casa Nostra" family, which has become known as the inspiration behind the HBO series "The Sopranos." They were charged with one count each of conspiracy to distribute more than 500 grams of cocaine.

In connection with the crimes, DeGidio and Pali were also sentenced to two and three years of supervised release, respectively.

Another associate arrested with Pali and DeGidio, Charles Stango, of Nevada, was sentenced last month to 10 years in prison in connection with a murder-for-hire plot.

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

Rep. Leonard Lance is holding his 43rd town hall this month. Watch video

WASHINGTON - Rep. Leonard Lance's last town hall meetings came against a national wave of opposition to Republican plans to repeal the Affordable Care Act, and the lawmaker faced the wrath of angry constituents as did colleagues across the country.

Most of those in the audience defended the health care law, and would cheer later as Lance (R-7th Dist.) became the first New Jersey House Republican to eventually oppose the GOP legislation, which strongly was supported by President Donald Trump.

"I listen to constituents in various ways," Lance said. He said the tipping point was the Congressional Budget Office findings that the Republicans' American Health Care Act would have left 24 million more Americans without health care by 2026 than under current law.

N.J. Republicans seek Democratic help

House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) wound up having to pull the measure from the House floor because it lacked the votes for passage.

The Republican legislation would have covered 500,000 fewer Garden State residents, make sharp reductions to Medicaid, and use most of the savings to cut taxes for corporations and wealthy Americans.

The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a progressive research group, said the average Garden State resident buying health insurance off an exchange would have paid $2,740 more in higher premiums, co-payments and deductibles under the Republican replacement legislation than under the current health care bill.

With the House recessing during the Easter and Passover holidays, Lance will hold his 43rd town hall meeting beginning at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 12, at the Mount Olive High School Performing Arts Center in Flanders.

Admission will be limited to residents of his congressional district and can be obtained on a first-come, first-served basis beginning at 10 a.m. Friday at his congressional website, lance.house.gov.

Lance might have another health care vote to talk about as well. The White House and House Republicans are discussing a proposal that would let states decide whether to require insurers to provide such benefits as maternity care, prescription drugs and mental health services that now are required under the Affordable Care Act.

Another option under consideration is for states to allow insurers to charge higher premiums to those who have pre-existing conditions, possibly doing away with one of the most popular features of the current law.

The conservative Freedom Caucus has been pushing for a reduction in required benefits as a way to lower premiums.

One question is how far can GOP leaders go to accommodate Freedom Caucus members without losing even more moderate Republicans who helped sink the original bill.

Another is whether making so many changes will allow party leaders to use a procedure to pass the bill in the Senate by majority vote rather than face a Senate Democratic filibuster that would block the legislation.

"I'm still cautiously optimistic that we can get there," said Rep. Tom MacArthur (R-3rd Dist.), who co-chairs the more moderate Republicans known as the Tuesday Group and was the only New Jersey Republican to support the GOP alternative. "Things went off the rails two weeks ago. Maybe we'll have better success."

There is a possibility of a vote by the end of the week, MacArthur said, though that would mean the CBO may not have enough time to calculate whether the revised legislation also would leave tens of millions of Americans without coverage.

The bill still is being drafted, and the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which Lance is a member of, has yet to scheduled a meeting to discuss it. But Lance said nothing he's heard so far would make him reconsider his no vote.

Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr. (D-9th Dist.), a member of the House Ways and Means Committee that also has jurisdiction over the legislation, said he didn't see how House Republican leaders could woo both sides at the same time.

"They'll have to give away the store to get the Freedom Caucus on their side," Pascrell said. "As they do, they will push the moderates away."

Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant or on Facebook. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.

Rising to prominence as he went after crime bosses and powerful political interests, Lacey fought a pervasive culture of corruption in New Jersey.

Frederick Lacey's son first began to understand the danger of the work his father was doing when four federal marshals unexpectedly took up residence to protect the family in their suburban Glen Ridge home.

As the new U.S. Attorney for New Jersey in 1969, Lacey quickly found himself making a number of powerful enemies.

Earlier in his career, as prosecutor he sent the widely feared and ruthless head of Murder Inc., mobster Albert Anastasia, to prison for income tax evasion. As U.S. Attorney, he soon was going up against the likes of Angelo "Gyp" DeCarlo, another major organized crime boss who controlled Newark, as well as the corrupt political machines in Essex and Hudson counties.

"It was serious stuff," recalled his son, John Lacey, a former federal prosecutor himself now in private practice. "No one had ever taken on the Mafia before in New Jersey, despite scandal after scandal."

Frederick B. Lacey, who later went from the U.S. Attorney's office to become a federal judge, died Saturday after a brief illness at his home in Naples, Fla. He was 96.

Lacey, who was appointed U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey by President Richard Nixon, quickly rose to prominence in his short tenure as the state's top federal law enforcement official. With Herbert J. Stern, who would succeed him as U.S. Attorney and also become a federal judge, Lacey and his office successfully prosecuted Newark Mayor Hugh J. Addonizio--who was linked at trial to mob boss Ruggerio "Richie the Boot" Boiardo--and the Hudson County Democratic powerbroker John V. Kenny.

"He was one of the state's most prominent attorneys and he put his entire reputation on the line," remembered Stern, recounting the extensive corruption in New Jersey and the speed at which Lacey went after it in a succession of high-profile trials.

"In a twinkling of an eye, the state changed," Stern said.

The corruption trial that changed NJ

Born in Newark, Lacey was the son of a former Newark police chief and attended West Side High School. He graduated from Rutgers University and served four years in the Navy during World War II, attaining the rank of lieutenant commander, before attending Cornell University Law School, where he graduated in 1948.

From 1953 to 1955, he served as assistant and chief assistant U.S. attorney in New Jersey before leaving to work in private practice. But he took a big cut in pay to return as U.S. Attorney in 1969.

His son said Lacey was committed to routing out corruption in Newark and Hudson, and noted the family was soon the focus of death threats, which led to the team of federal marshals being assigned to their Glen Ridge home for round-the-clock protection.

"Because corruption was so pervasive at every level of government in New Jersey, they were all from Mississippi and Alabama and North Carolina and South Carolina," he said of the marshals, recalling with delight his own taking on of their southern accents as a 10-year-old boy.

"It was high risk. Very high risk--not just physically, but career-wise. He was attacked by politicians and within the Justice Department itself," he said.

His career at a federal prosecutor was relatively brief. Lacey in October 1970 was nominated by President Nixon to become a federal judge, serving on the bench for 14 years until his retirement at 65.

He was later appointed as independent administrator to oversee the expulsion of scores of corrupt International Brotherhood of Teamsters officials. He also was installed as a federal monitor was a federal monitor at Bristol-Myers Squibb, after the drug giant was accused in an accounting scandal of artificially inflating company revenues.

"The guy who in my judgment exerts tremendous efforts to find the work that will consume his or her time--and never enjoys it--that's a workaholic," Lacey said. "The work comes to me. But I don't consider it work as such. I find it fascinating."

He said he always looked forward each day with anticipation of what might happen.

"'What phone call will I receive? What letter will I find on my desk that brings me into another exciting stage of what I do and love?" he asked.

His son said just last week, his father was reciting long, multi-stanza poems from memory. "He continued to be larger than life," he said.

Lacey, whose wife Mary predeceased him, is survived by seven children and 22 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren. Services have yet to be finalized, but his son said they will celebrate a Mass in Sea Girt, where he once had a home.

Ted Sherman may be reached at tsherman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TedShermanSL. Facebook: @TedSherman.reporter. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

One dead, another hurt after afternoon shooting.

NEWARK -- A Newark teen was arrested Tuesday and charged with murder in the double shooting that killed a 16-year-old boy in the city's South Ward, officials said.

The 17-year-old boy is also accused of attempted murder, aggravated assault and weapons offenses in the slaying of Malik Bullock, of Newark. Bullock and another 17-year-old Newark boy were found shot behind a home on the 400 block of Hawthorne Avenue around 3 p.m. Friday. near an elementary school and community garden, area residents and authorities said.

Bullock died at the scene and the surviving victim was rushed to an area hospital, where he was in stable condition as of Saturday, according to authorities.

In a statement, Acting Essex County Prosecutor Carolyn A. Murray and Newark Public Safety Director Anthony Ambrose said the investigation was ongoing and did not comment on a possible motive for the attack.

'I was helpless,' says stepdad of slain Newark teen

Prosecutors did not release the name of the accused teen because of his age.

"Court proceedings involving the juvenile who has been charged will not be public unless he is waived up to adult court," Murray's office said.

Gregory Johnson said he found his stepson, Bullock, lying on the ground wounded behind a next-door neighbor's house after several yelled that the boy had been shot.

"I was helpless to my stepson," said in an interview at his home Saturday.

Bullock had a son, who is a few months old, and who lives with his girlfriend, Johnson added.

He was a junior at Barringer Academy of the Arts and Humanities.

A Newark Public Schools spokesman said grief counselors were available this week.

The killing was Newark's 13th murder of the year, down from more than 22 killings in the same period last year.

Marisa Iati contributed to this report. 

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

Prosecutors will recommend that 27-year-old Jonathan Balaguer be sentenced to 17 years in prison when sentenced on a manslaughter charge May 8 in the death of Julio Martinez

Jonathan Balaguer pleaded guilty to a manslaughter charge in the 2014 shooting of another Newark manECPO 

NEWARK -- A 29-year-old Newark man could spend at least another decade behind bars, after admitting Tuesday that he fatally shot another Newark man as he sat in his his car in 2014, Acting Essex County Prosecutor Carolyn A. Murray announced. 

Jonathan Balaguer pleaded guilty to a single manslaughter count in the Oct. 9, 2014, fatal shooting of Julio Martinez, 35, also of Newark, Murray's office announced.

Balaguer, who entered his plea before Superior Court Judge Verna Leath in Newark, is scheduled to be sentenced on May 8.

Balaguer was first jailed and ordered held in lieu of $1 million bail in 2014. Murray's office will recommended a term of 17 years in prison, without parole eligibility for 14 1/2 years, so even with time served, Balaguer will likley not be released another 11 years.

Assistant Prosecutor Margarita Rivera, who handled the case, said Martinez was sitting in a car at 8:45 p.m., in front of 70 South Street in Newark, when Balaguer shot him.

A spokeswoman for Murray's office, Katherine Carter, said Martinez was an "associate" of a third man, with whom Balaguer had a prior dispute.

"Hopefully, the resolution of the criminal matter will bring some peace to the Martinez family,'' Rivera said in a statement. "Although this in no way will fill their loss."

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

Sending convicted the ex-Port Authority chairman to a year in his vacation home is "a stain on the judiciary," activist and gov candidate Bill Brennan said. Watch video

NEWARK -- Democratic activist and candidate for governor Bill Brennan filed a citizen's complaint against former Port Authority chairman David Samson in Newark municipal court on Tuesday, a move that that could result in new criminal charges against Gov. Chris Christie's longtime friend and mentor.

"What he did meets all the elements of official misconduct," said Brennan.

Samson pleaded guilty in July to a felony count of bribery for extorting a direct flight to his South Carolina vacation home from United Airlines while chairman of the Port Authority.

The money-losing route, which became known as "the Chairman's Flight," was run from 2011 to 2014 by United Airlines for Samson in order to secure from him a $20 million lease on a wide-body maintenance terminal at Newark's Liberty International Airport.

Fishman on Christie: Unindicted isn't innocent

As a result of his guilty plea, Samson had to pay a $100,000 fine and in lieu of jail time was sentenced to a year of home confinement at that South Carolina vacation home.

That incensed Brennan, who pointed to Samson's plea agreement on the judge's desk as "unacceptable" asking rhetorically, "this man is going to serve his sentence at the very vacation home he extorted them to fly into?"

He argued to Municipal Judge Marvin Adames that "once (Samson) confessed to extortion and bribery, he confessed -- ancillarilly -- to official misconduct."

Second-degree charge of official misconduct is crime punishable by up to a 10 year prison sentence in New Jersey, with a minimum of five years without parole.

Brennan, a retired Teaneck firefighter who filed petitions Monday to run for governor in the Democratic primary, has become something of an Energizer Bunny when it comes to citizen's complaints.

He's been pursuing an official misconduct charge against Christie over his alleged role in the Bridgegate lane closures since last October, and is currently appealing its dismissal last month by a Bergen superior court judge.

The governor has denied all any wrongdoing or knowledge of the Bridgegate plot.

It is unclear whether Samson could be tried for the same crime under state law.

The U.S. Constitution's Fifth Amendment clause prohibits "double jeopardy," or having any person be subject for the same offense twice.

It's also unclear whether New Jersey's official misconduct statute could be used to prosecute him even if doing so were not a case of double jeopardy. While appointed by Christie to represent New Jersey's interested, the Port Authority itself is a bi-state agency created by an act of Congress, not state law.

Adames said he would render a decision on whether he would issue a criminal summons as a result of Brennan's complaint next Thursday at 1 pm.

Claude Brodesser-Akner may be reached at cbrodesser@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @ClaudeBrodesser. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.

Brandon McIntyre, 24, was indicted by a federal grand jury on charges he coerced a girl to produce sexually explicit photos of herself and stalking another girl, authorities said.

NEWARK -- A 24-year-old man was indicted by a federal grand jury on charges he coerced a girl to send sexually explicit images of herself and later threatened and stalked another girl he met on Facebook, authorities said Tuesday. 

Brandon McIntyre, of Washington, was charged with production of child pornography, online enticement of a minor to engage in criminal sexual conduct, interstate extortionate threat and stalking, Acting U.S. Attorney William E. Fitzpatrick said. 

McIntyre was arrested in 2014 and previously indicted on pornography and stalking charges, Ftizpatrick said. 

Authorities said McIntyre pretended to be a teenage girl on Facebook and in August 2013 asked a girl to send him sexually explicit images. He allegedly threatened to injure her and others until she sent the sexually explicit photos on two different dates, authorities said. 

In 2014, McIntyre used the name "Katie Thompson" to ask another girl to take a trip with him, according to the indictment. He allegedly threatened to kill her boyfriend and family when she refused, authorities said. 

A message left with McIntyre's attorney was not immediate returned. 

Karen Yi may be reached at kyi@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter at @karen_yi or on Facebook. 

The man previously was convicted at trial of murder, aggravated manslaughter and aggravated assault charges

NEWARK -- An Essex County judge Tuesday sentenced a city man to a total of 99 years in prison for killing three people and injuring two others at a go-go bar in Irvington early Christmas Day three years ago.

Imposing sentence on Anthony Fields, 22, in a courtroom filled with family and friends of the man's victims, Superior Court Judge Martin G. Cronin said Fields' actions that morning in 2013 reflected a sentence "that deters others from even imagining our society condones that kind of conduct."

A shooting at Slick's Go-Go Bar in Irvington early Christmas Day 2013 left three men dead and two wounded. (Mark Di Ionno | The Star-Ledger)

Fields was convicted by an Essex County jury in December of murder and aggravated manslaughter charges in the deaths of Woodley Daniel, Pierre Clervoyant Jr. and Mushir Cureton, as well as aggravated assault for the non-fatal shootings of two other men at Slick's Go-Go Bar at Nye Avenue and 21st Street.

Clervoyant, 34, was a manager and the son of the owner of the bar, where Daniel, 32, worked as a bouncer. Cureton, 27, was an acquaintance of Fields, and was at the bar that night for the same event, according to prosecutors. 

Assistant Prosecutor Purva Deshpande, who tried the case with Assistant Prosecutor Austin Edwards, told the court Tuesday that Fields had been a bystander to a dispute involving Daniel, Clervoyant and another group trying to enter the bar. 

Cronin, referencing the facts of the case in explaining his sentencing decision, recalled how Fields had followed the group out of the packed bar, before turning around and firing 10 shots.

"Those shots resulted in the death of Mr. Daniel. Those shots resulted in the death of Mr. Clervoyant. Those shots resulted in the death of Mr. Cureton."

Paul Bini, Fields' attorney, told Cronin his client still maintained his innocence, and argued the sentences should run concurrently, as the crimes were part of the same incident.

But Cronin, noting there were multiple victims, ultimately imposed consecutive sentences of 45 years for Daniel's murder, 27 years for Clervoyant's death and 18 years for Cureton's killing, as well as four and a half years for each of the two non-fatal shootings. 

In issuing a lesser sentence for Cureton's death, the judge noted he and Fields were acquaintances without a history of animosity, indicating the man's death was likely not an expected result of the shots Fields fired.

Man guilty in Christmas morning triple homicide

Before Cronin imposed the sentence on Fields, family members of the victims lined up one by one to describe their loss to the court.

Pierre Clervoyant's sister, Stephanie Clervoyant, described her brother as a college-educated city worker who had influenced and mentored many people.

"He lost his life to the one thing he told his mentees to stay away from, which was guns," she said. "Anthony Fields took a great man."

In a letter read to the court by a relative, Daniel's mother Marie -- silently holding a photograph of her slain son -- told the court she was there for justice for her son, a U.S. Army veteran a cousin described as a "dreamer."

"There aren't enough words or tears to explain how much I miss him," she said.

Cureton's mother Adrian, her hands shaking as she read from a prepared statement, told the court she could live another lifetime without meeting someone like her son.

"When you make a conscious decision, the word 'sorry' is just too weak and does not reflect the reality of the situation," she said.

Deshpande told Cronin the nature of the crimes meant the court could only learn who the victims were through the words of others.

"What they could have accomplished is something we will never know," she said.

Fields declined to make a statement to the court.

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

The shooting is under investigation by the Essex County Prosecutor's Office

NEWARK -- A victim described only as a male was shot and killed Tuesday night, Chief Assistant Prosecutor Thomas Fennelly of the Essex County Prosecutor's Office said. 

The victim, who was not identified, was found in the 600 block of S. 15th Street. The shooting occurred shortly before 10 p.m. 

Authorities ID slain Newark teen 

It was the 14th homicide in the city so far this year, according to records. 

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

Three new teams make the list for the first time this season.

U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions ordered a review of all consent decrees reached between city police departments and the Department of Justice that outline systemic reforms.

NEWARK -- Mayor Ras Baraka vowed the city would continue its police department reforms despite actions by U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions that could threaten federal agreements overhauling troubled agencies. 

In a two-page memo, Sessions directed a nationwide review of consent decrees -- agreements reached by the Department of Justice with local police departments that were a key part of President Obama's legacy. 

The DOJ reached an agreement with Newark in 2016 to drastically reform its police force after a federal probe uncovered civil rights abuses by officers. Between 2009-12, 75 percent of pedestrian stops with a documented reason were unjustified, the probe found. 

"We're going to continue to do what is right even it we don't have a decree," Baraka told NJ Advance Media, adding that he didn't think Sessions' directive would have an immediate impact on the city.

"We all agree here, that there needs to be systemic changes and we're going to make those changes," he said.

Dianna Houenou, policy counsel for the ACLU-New Jersey, said her team and the community would ensure reform comes to Newark. 

"Everybody has been ready for changes for a long time," Houenou said. She said the memo was broad and vague and "not specific enough to let us know what exactly is going to happen."

"It sends the notion that the DOJ is going to take a step back when it comes to enforcing civil rights, it's pretty alarming," she added.

Because a U.S. District Court approved the city's consent decree, any reversals of the agreement would require court intervention, Baraka said. 

"They can't reverse a court decision," he said. "They can't stop the consent decree itself but they can do other things not to be cooperative."

Houenou said the DOJ could become a "weak enforcer" of the decree though reforms are also overseen by an independent team.  

Members of Independent Monitoring Team declined to comment, citing the need to remain impartial in the process.

In Sessions' March 31 memo, he ordered two of his deputies to ensure all agreements comply with certain principles, including one that states: "the misdeeds of individual bad actors should not impugn or undermine the legitimate and honorable work" of law enforcement.

Based on the memo, Baraka said he didn't think Sessions understood the purpose and scope of a consent decree.

"He is saying that the department is being punished for the behavior of a few officers and that's clearly not what the consent decree is. The consent decree talks about patterns and practices," Baraka said. "The consent decree is designed to deal with those systemic things that create a culture of violating people's rights."

A spokesman for the Justice Department in Washington D.C. declined to comment beyond the Sessions memo.

Newark Fraternal Order of Police President James Stewart Jr. said he welcomed the Justice Department's review but believed the consent decree would remain in place. 

"It sends a positive message to law enforcement nationwide that at least somebody is listening to our side of the story," Stewart said. He said the union was hopeful reforms would bring new training and technology to officers in Newark.

"The FOP, as we have said from day one, looks forward to the positive changes and new technology, and training that the consent decree will bring to Newark, which will help bring about a better relationship between police and the community, making Newark a better place for all," he added. 

Baraka said he worried Sessions would erode gains to restore relationships between police departments and their communities. More than two dozen cities, like Seattle, Chicago and Cleveland have consent decrees.

"It's extremely important for the city for people to begin looking at the police department as their own. Those are our neighborhoods, our family members, we know them," he said. "It's important people begin to trust the police."

Karen Yi may be reached at kyi@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter at @karen_yi or on Facebook. 

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

Newark Mayor Ras Baraka is among a number of local leaders who have said they will not hand over non-criminal immigrants

NEWARK-- The mayor of New Jersey's largest city slammed President Donald Trump's plans to get tough on sanctuary cities, where police will not specifically target undocumented immigrants for deportation, by making a historical comparison to "fugitive slave catchers."

In an interview Sunday on MSNBC's Politics Nation, Mayor Ras Baraka told host Al Sharpton said that plans to deputize local police to assist Immigration and Customs Enforcement deportation efforts is an "unconstitutional and un-American policy."

"[T]hey're trying to intimidate us into being what I've called fugitive slave catchers, run around and do their bidding in our cities, and if we refuse to do that then it makes them difficult to continue their policy because they don't have the resources to run down the undocumented residents locally," Baraka said, referring to the practice of hunting down escaped slaves before the Civil War.

Baraka also vowed to maintain the city's sanctuary status despite a recent announcement by Attorney General Jeff Sessions that cities failing to comply with federal policy may lose federal funds.

In January, Trump signed an executive order that would withhold funds from communities that refuse to hand over non-criminal undocumented immigrants for deportation.

Sanctuary cities plan to ignore Trump order 

"The irony of it is his budget says he's going to cut the money anyway," Baraka said.

Several communities across the country and in New Jersey have declared themselves sanctuary cities, a status with no formally defined meaning, including big communities like Newark and Jersey City and smaller towns such as Maplewood and Princeton.

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

U.S. Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen has been dodging NJ 11th for Change's requests for in-person town hall meetings for nearly three months

WASHINGTON D.C. -- After weeks of protests by groups from residents concerned about the proposed repeal of the Affordable Care Act and President Donald Trump's policies, U.S. Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen has finally agreed to a meeting.

But members of NJ 11th for Change and BlueWaveNJ have to travel several hours south to the nation's capital to meet Wednesday with Frelinghuysen (R-11th Dist.) at his Washington D.C. office. And they'll be limited to groups no greater than 10.  

Frelinhuysen has been dodging requests for an in-person town hall for months. Instead he's held invite-only town halls over the phone.

By comparison, U.S. Rep. Leonard Lance (R-7th Dist.) has weathered two contentious in-person town hall meetings so far this year, and plans to hold a third next week.

Sanctuary city mayor compares Trump policy to 'fugitive slave catchers'

Frelinghuysen gained some ground with the groups when he and a slew of other Republicans including Lance broke with Trump and House Speaker Paul Ryan in opposing the Republican-backed American Health Care Act (AHCA).

Frelinghuysen, who has repeatedly advocated for the repeal of the Affordable Care Act, did say at the time he remained "hopeful" that AHCA will be modified further. 

NJ 11th for Change and BlueWaveNJ will be promoting their meeting with Frelinghuysen on Twitter using the hashtag #NJ11InDC.

And we're off! Two buses from Montclair heading to D.C this morning. Follow along at #NJ11inDc pic.twitter.com/iyPwgttMBd

-- NJ11forchange (@nj11forchange) April 5, 2017

Justin Zaremba may be reached at jzaremba@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JustinZarembaNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

The 18-year-old East Orange resident was driving a stolen car, officials said.

Shakur Loyal. (Facebook)
 

NEWARK -- The man killed in a fiery crash early Monday as police chased him in a stolen car was identified Wednesday as an 18-year-old East Orange resident, authorities said.

Shakur Loyal was driving a stolen Jaguar FX through Newark at high speed at 4:25 a.m. Monday when Newark police officers tried to pull him over, acting Essex County Prosecutor Carolyn A. Murray said Wednesday.

The car had been reported stolen out of Bridgewater, Murray said.

During the chase, Loyal lost control of the car, hit two unoccupied parked cars, and sheered a utility pole, Murray said. The Jaguar burst into flames near the intersection of Irvine Turner Boulevard and Clinton Avenue, Murray said.

The Essex County Prosecutor's Office is investigating the crash, and its Professional Standards Bureau will review the actions of the officers in the chase, authorities said.

Friends and family members took to social media to express grief over Loyal's death.

No other information about the allegedly stolen car or the crash was immediately available.

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

Presented by The Theater Project April 6-23, the comedy by award-winning playwright Ike Holter tackles a serious subject.

Most of Ike Holter's play "Exit Strategy" is set in the teachers' lounge of a  southside Chicago school poised to be shut down. Tempers flare and emotions are raw as faculty and students challenge school administration. 

But this is not a drama, said Mark Spina, artistic director of The Theater Project, which is presenting the play's New Jersey premiere April 6. It's a comedy, he said, rich with the sort of "foxhole humor" teachers use to deal with the challenges of their job.

"It really captures the camaraderie and the challenges of teaching," Spina said.  "It has that frantic pace and shows all the pressures the teachers have to meet the needs of the students, the needs of the administrators, all the tests." 

The 90-minute show features a diverse cast -- They are white, black and Latino; a teenager and teachers; gay and straight. There's a hapless administrator, two old guard teacher and a student who is sure things can change if only people outside the school knew what was going on. It addresses issues of school funding -- one character talks about needing to ask teachers for toilet paper -- and the emotional bond between professionals who are mission-driven to educate but continually find barriers placed before them.

Spina knows about that passion, and the impact a school closing can have on a community. He once taught at a Paterson alternative high school that he said was doing well but unexpectedly shut down.

"Schools are really loved by the people who attend them and the people who staff them," he said. "It's almost like your town blows up when your school is closed. You lose touch with people, friends, colleagues and students. You lose your sense of purpose."

Holter, who is based in Chicago,  was recently awarded the 2017 Windham-Campbell Literature Prize for drama. His play "Hit the Wall," about the 1969 Stonewall riots, ran off-Broadway in 2013. 

Holter wrote this  "Exit Strategy" after the Chicago Board of Education voted to close 49 public schools in disproportionally minority and impoverished communities.  

When the play debuted in the Windy City in 2014,  "Chicago Tribune" critic Chris Jones called it "At once poetic, political, sad, funny, timely, complex and compassionate  ... you'll find a blistering production of a crucial new Chicago play and an overall experience comparable to those famously seminal moments of Chicago theater..."

The Theater Project enjoys bringing works built around current social issues. Past productions include "Guardians," which addressed the ethics of war with events similar to those that occurred in Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison, and "Bury the Dead," a 1936 anti-war play. As with other productions, the theater will host a discussion sessions after Friday shows.

"He's writing social protest material," Spina said of Holter. "Whether he succeeds or not, he's honoring that voice."

Exit Strategy

The Theater Project

Burgdorff Cultural Center, 10 Durand Road, Maplewood. 

Tickets: $15-30, online at http://www.thetheaterproject.org. April 6-23.

Natalie Pompilio is a freelance writer based in Philadelphia. She can be reached at nataliepompilio@yahoo.com. Find her on Twitter @nataliepompilio. Find NJ.com/Entertainment on Facebook. 

Payless announced the store closures on Wednesday after filing for bankruptcy

Payless ShoeSource will close seven stores in New Jersey as part of its plan to shutter 400 locations across the country after filing for bankruptcy.

The company operates 4,400 discount shoe stores across the world, including several dozen in New Jersey.

The New Jersey Payless locations closing are:

• Loews Shopping Center, East Rutherford
• Marlton Crossing, Marlton section of Evesham
• Mid State Mall, East Brunswick
• Phillipsburg Mall, Phillipsburg
• Bloomfield Avenue, Bloomfield
• Acme Plaza, Cape May Court House section of Middle Township
• Marlboro Plaza, Marlboro

The Topeka-based company filed a Chapter 11 petition in bankruptcy court in St. Louis, stating it had just $1 billion in assets and $10 billion in liabilities. The company said it plans to shed debt and boost online sales in a bid to stay competitive.

Retail collapse: The 23 biggest chains closing stores this year

Shoppers are increasingly shifting their buying online or going to discount stores like T.J. Maxx to grab deals on designer brands. That shift has hurt traditional retailers, even low-price outlets like Payless.

In fact, Moody's Investor Service said earlier this year that the number of "distressed" retailers --those with cash problems and lots of debt that are facing strong competition -- is at the highest rate since 2009. It named Payless as one of the retailers.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JeffSGoldman. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

He was one of two men charged as accomplices to James Olbert, who was sentenced to 123 years in prison for killing two men in separate incidents during a crime spree.

NEWARK -- A 23-year-old city man has been sentenced to 17 years in prison for his role in a 2012 robbery that resulted in the fatal shooting of a 37-year-old bodega owner.

Appearing Tuesday before Superior Court Judge Martin G. Cronin, Isiah Adams told Miguel Torres' family he was sorry for the loss of their loved one

Adams was one of two men charged as accomplices to James Olbert, who previously was convicted of killing Torres and Wilfredo Campos in separate robberies during a crime spree in December 2011 and January 2012.

Torres, who owned the JNC Mini Mart at South 18th Street and 14th Avenue, was fatally shot by Olbert on Jan. 16, 2012 during a robbery in which authorities said Adams, then 18, served as a lookout.

In June 2015, Cronin sentenced Olbert to 123 years in prison after he was found guilty at trial of the murders and robberies. Azil Elington, who had been charged with murder and other charges in Campos' death, was later sentenced to 12 years in prison after pleading guilty to a carjacking he committed with Olbert five days before that shooting.

Adams had faced charges including murder and felony murder -- a homicide resulting from a crime the defendant was participating in -- but ultimately pleaded guilty to robbery and conspiracy charges under an agreement with the Essex County Prosecutor's Office.

Paul Bini, Adams' attorney, argued that while a doctor would not have been able to testify at trial as to a direct relationship between his client's intelligence level and his actions at the time of the robbery, Adams -- who he said has an IQ of 63 -- had been preyed on by Olbert. 

"The culpability in this situation is so far in the corner of Mr. Olbert ... the court really should consider in the time it meets out in this, whether it's at the higher or lower (end)," Bini said.

Assistant Prosecutor Michele Miller argued that Adams played a key role in the robbery, having placed a rock in the store's doorway, blocking a magnetic strip that would have allowed the shopkeeper to lock it.

Man gets over 100 years for 2 killings

After law enforcement officials circulated surveillance photos of Adams outside the store, he shaved the long dreadlocks he was sporting at the time of the robbery, she said.

Bini said that during his five years in the Essex County Correctional Facility, Adams has been attending bible classes and attending other instructional programs.

Torres' youngest son, on the other hand, has been traumatized by his father's death, and refuses to leave the house, Miller said.

"His world was shattered the day his father was murdered," she said. "While Isiah Adams works to improve himself, (Torres' son) can't find his way out his front door."

In imposing the state's recommended 17-year sentence, Cronin said Adams' actions in bringing the rock to the robbery and placing it in the door "clearly evidenced knowing and purposeful conduct."

"I believed then, and I believe now, that (the recommended sentence) represents an appropriate balance," he said.

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