BLOOMFIELD -- Juan is an adult male Chihuahua at the Bloomfield Animal Shelter. Volunteers say he is shy when he first meets people and he would be best suited to home with owners familiar with the breed. He has been neutered and is up-to-date on shots. To meet Juan and other adoptable pets, visit the Bloomfield Animal Shelter at 61...

Juan 

BLOOMFIELD -- Juan is an adult male Chihuahua at the Bloomfield Animal Shelter.

Volunteers say he is shy when he first meets people and he would be best suited to home with owners familiar with the breed.

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

To meet Juan and other adoptable pets, visit the Bloomfield Animal Shelter at 61 Bukowski Place in Bloomfield. The shelter is open every day from noon to 5 p.m. (Wednesdays until 6:30 p.m.) For more information, call 973-748-0194 or go to njhumane.org.

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 Greg Hatala on Facebook.

 

Charles Puryear faces up to 30 years in prison

NEWTON -- A man who admitted last year to fatally shooting another man in Newark in 2011, admitted Thursday to an armed robbery at a motel in Sussex County, authorities said.

Charles Puryear

Charles Puryear, 31, pleaded guilty to first-degree armed robbery and possession of a firearm by a felon in the Dec. 4, 2011 robbery at Rolling Hills Motel in Wantage, the Sussex County Prosecutor's Office said.

Puryear was armed with a handgun when he and co-defendant Marcus Brown entered a room at the motel and confronted the two victims, authorities said.

Puryear and Brown, who was also armed, both fired their guns inside the room, the prosecutor's office said. A physical struggle ensued and the duo stole the victims' property, authorities said.

Puryear and Brown escaped from the room through a back window as police arrived, but they were caught less than a half-mile from the scene. 

The victims were treated for injuries, but they were not life-threatening, authorities said.

Puryear was convicted last year on charges of aggravated manslaughter and unlawful possession of a handgun for the Nov. 25, 2011 killing of Jackie Pena, 21, of East Orange.

He also admitted at that time to committing two other robberies of juveniles in Newark on the day after the homicide.

The status of the charges against Brown could not be immediately be determined.

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

NEWARK -- Josephine Ferreira Santiago is seen in this photo taken in 1957 following Easter Sunday Mass at St. Joseph's Church in Newark. With her are her daughters, Maria Dolores, left, and Josephine Louise. 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....

NEWARK -- Josephine Ferreira Santiago is seen in this photo taken in 1957 following Easter Sunday Mass at St. Joseph's Church in Newark. With her are her daughters, Maria Dolores, left, and Josephine Louise.

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 on nj.com.

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

 

Two state senators say an Argentinian company is trying to dodge its Superfund obligations by declaring bankruptcy.

Lawmakers are urging state and federal agencies to investigate an Argentinian company they say is attempting to skirt its share of the $1.38 billion cleanup of the polluted Passaic River. 

Sen. Christopher "Kip" Bateman (R-Somerset) and Sen. Bob Smith (D-Middlesex) said Argentina's state-owned oil company, YPF S.A, declared bankruptcy for one of its subsidiaries, Maxus Energy Corp -- the company responsible for dumping carcinogenic toxins into the river, including dioxin, a byproduct of Agent Orange that was used during the Vietnam War.

The June bankruptcy is "an apparent attempt to avoid paying the company's environmental liabilities," the lawmakers wrote in their February resolution. The resolution said YPF's actions could set a dangerous precedent for other companies to dodge its Superfund obligations. 

The Senate and Assembly environmental committees are holding a joint meeting Tuesday morning in Lyndhurst to discuss the situation. 

With its history of manufacturing, New Jersey has more Superfund sites than any other state in the country. Superfund sites are heavily polluted areas that require long-term cleanup efforts. 

Maxus, previously known as the Diamond Alkali Company, operated a plant along Lister Avenue in Newark starting in the 1940s, producing agricultural chemicals that contaminated the water and led to prohibitions of fish and crab consumption.

Last March, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced a $1.38 billion cleanup plan calling on 100 companies that contributed to the contaminated to pay for it. 

It's not clear how much YPF SA would have to pay in the cleanup plan. 

A call to the bankruptcy attorney representing Maxus was not immediately returned Friday.

The bi-artisan resolution, however, says YPF "stripped billions of dollars in assets out of Maxus, leaving it unable to perform its Superfund obligations."

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

Police said the man broke into a residential building on Sunday before fleeing on foot

NEWARK -- Police are asking the public to help identify a man who allegedly burglarized an apartment on Ferry and Van Buren streets. 

A 54-year-old man who was the victim in the burglary said the suspect is bald and approximately 5-feet, 5-inches tall, according to Newark Public Safety Director Anthony F. Ambrose.

Newark Police are searching for this burglary suspect who broke into a residential building on Ferry and Van Buren streets. (Courtesy Newark Police)Karen Yi | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com 

Ambrose said the burglary happened Sunday around 11:40 a.m. after the suspect pried open the door of the building using a tool and later fled on foot wearing black pants, a red shirt and a black jacket.

It wasn't immediately clear what the suspect allegedly took from the home. The investigation remains ongoing.

Anyone with information can call the Crime Stopper tip line at 1-877-NWK-TIPS (1-877-695-8477).  

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

Hassan Trazie is charged with aggravated assault and weapon possession.

NEWARK -- A 19-year-old Newark man was arrested Friday after he pointed a loaded gun at a woman after an altercation, authorities said. 

Hassan Trazie (Courtesy Newark Police) 

Hassan Trazie was arrested around 3 a.m. in the area of 4th and Summer avenues, police said. He is charged with aggravated assault and weapon possession. 

Newark Public Safety Director Anthony F. Ambrose said neighbors flagged down officers in the area and told them Trazie had pointed a gun at a 33-year-old woman. He was later found walking with a loaded Winchester air rifle, Ambrose said. 

It wasn't immediately clear who was representing Trazie. 

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

Newark middle and high school students love to play squash, a racquet sport with an academic program that helps them get into college.

It sounds like a vegetable, but Newark middle and high school kids don't care.

Squash is their game and they love it.

You heard me - Squash. It's the sport - mostly played in the suburbs - that gets its name from the small squashable ball that players whack against four walls.

I had no idea it had traction with young people in the city until I saw the team name - StreetSquash Newark- written on the side of a van waiting to pick up students for practice.

The team started five years ago with 26 kids from  University High School and Eagle Academy. Now, there are 52 in a program that anticipates adding another 26 next fall.

MORE: Recent Barry Carter columns  

"If it wasn't for squash, I probably would be bored,'' said Sapphire Charles, a 15 year-old ninth-grader at University High School.''

The racquet sport is not just a game for these students, however. It's the hook organizers use to help them shape their future with intensive after school academics that prepare them for college and beyond.

"Our goal is to make sure they graduate high school as the first step, but help them also be successful in whatever their next step is,'' said StreetSquash Newark Program Director Ana Farinha.

Modeled after StreetSquash Harlem in New York, the Newark program launched in 2012 when the Harlem organization wanted to bring its urban enrichment program to a nearby city, said Farinha.

In its pitch to seventh-graders and their parents at University High School and Eagle Academy, StreetSquash officials said the organization would provide consistent, long-term support, including tutors, mentors, college preparation, college tours and professional development workshops.

Too good to be true? Not at all. When students graduate high school, Farinha said, StreetSquash continues to visit them through college to see how they are doing.

But here's the catch. The students must pledge to be in the program from seventh grade through high school, a six-year commitment that gives the organization a chance to work with them and have an impact.

Oh yeah, there's something else. Students just can't sign up and be on the team. There's a six week week try out period, where attendance, academic effort and a good attitude is mandatory.

"You don't' have to be an A-plus student to be in our program,'' Farinha said. "You have to show effort.''

Many of the students were at first reluctant to play the game with an odd name. They had no idea what it was all about until squash representatives showed them the equipment and videos on how it's played. Now they say joining the team was the best decision they've ever made.

Ebonie Reaves and Kaylah Sewell, now 17- year-old juniors, were part of the inaugural group of students who signed up at University High School.

"It helps having people to make sure your grades stay where they are supposed to be,'' said Reaves, an "A" student who gives a thumbs up to StreetSquash for sticking with her after her family moved to Kenilworth two years ago. Ebonie said she thought her squash days were over because she was no longer residing in Newark.

But the organization, to Ebonie's surprise, wanted her to stay and continue her progress.  So, since freshman year, the squash van has picked up Ebonie from David Brearley High School so she could go on participating in the program.

"It (squash) was kind of hard at first, but once you know it, its's fun,'' said Kaylah. "It's the intensity and the challenge'' that she likes best.

Academic benefits are priceless, too, and networking opportunities go a long way when they meet people at squash matches or during college tours to Harvard, Yale, Princeton and other northeastern universities.

The kids are sold on the program.

While Zhae Braswell, 15, is continuing to work on her squash game, she's more than proud to say that she is no longer a "C" student at University High School. Now, even though she's getting "Bs, she's still not satisfied.

"I'm working for that "A," said Zhae, a ninth-grader. "They (StreetSquash Newark) can find out how to best help us.''

That's because academic directors in the program check with teachers weekly to making sure students are completing assignments and passing exams.

"It's like they are our second family,'' Sapphire said.

This family is part of the National Urban Squash Education Association and there are 18 to 20 similar programs in cities around the country. 

The squash programs compete against each other at two annual tournaments at Amherst College and Williams College in Massachusetts, but StreetSquash Newark also plays against private New Jersey schools and in other squash tournaments on the East Coast.

Don't look for them to be in a league. StreetSquash Newark is about competition, sportsmanship and blending academics with exposure to new places and people.

MORE CARTER: Newark residents find police work difficult and deadly

Five years has gone by quickly, but the Newark program doesn't want to stand still. One day it would like to have its own building similar to StreetSquash Harlem.

Farinha said that program, which started in 1999, serves 300 kids a year in a building with eight squash courts, four classrooms, a library and administrative office offices.

"It's a true community center,'' she said. "That would be a game-changer for Newark.''

Until that happens, the Newark program functions in limited space and is funded with grants and donations from individuals, foundations and StreetSquash board members.

Twice a week, the eighth- and ninth-graders meet at the Newark YMCA, where hardly anyone was playing squash until they showed up. They spend an hour on academics and an hour learning the sport.

The 10^th and 11^th graders are at the Salvation Army in Montclair for school work, then they walk a few blocks to the YMCA in that town for squash practice.

So, there you have it. Squash in Newark.

While basketball, football and soccer dominate this town, Javon Lee, 15, of Eagle Academy, believes team members have been good ambassadors for his peers in Newark.

"A lot of kids know what squash is now,'' he said. "I think we made people more aware.''

So, if you see a Newark kid walking around with a racquet, don't assume it's for racquetball or badminton.

It's squash.

Barry Carter: (973) 836-4925 or bcarter@starledger.com or http://connect.nj.com/user/bcarter/posts.html or follow him on Twitter @BarryCarterSL

Amin Roland, of Orange, and Jacquill D. Swain, of Newark, were arrested Thursday night on weapons and drug possession charges, police said.

NEWARK -- City police arrested two 21-year-old men after they were found with several vials of crack cocaine, a stolen handgun and marijuana. 

Amin Roland, of Orange, and Jacquill D. Swain, of Newark, were arrested Thursday night on weapons and drug possession charges, Newark Public Safety Director Anthony F. Ambrose said.

Amin Roland, of Orange, (left) and Jacquill D. Swain, of Newark, (right) were arrested Thursday night on weapons and drug possession charges, police said. (Courtesy of Newark Police) 

The two were driving a white 2012 Honda Accord on South 16th Street near South Orange Avenue when they were pulled over by police around 9 p.m., Amborse said. Police found a .40 caliber handgun stolen from Virginia inside the car and could smell marijuana emanating from the vehicle, Ambrose said. 

It wasn't immediately clear who was representing Roland and Swain. 

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

A 43-year-old Newark man was shot in Irvington around 2:30 a.m. Saturday, police said.

IRVINGTON -- Police are investigating the overnight shooting of a 43-year-old Newark man in the 200 block of Nesbit Terrace. 

The man, who has not been identified, is in critical condition but remains stable, Irvington Director of Public Safety Tracy Bowers said. The man was taken to Rutgers University Hospital. 

Bowers said the man was shot around 2:30 a.m. Saturday after an argument with at least two men who were inside a dark-colored car. The car fled the scene after the shooting, he said. 

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

Protesters gathered in cities across the country Saturday in a nationwide series of marches to demand President Donald Trump release his tax returns.

NEWARK -- Protesters gathered in cities across the country Saturday in a nationwide series of marches to demand President Donald Trump release his tax returns.

Organizers say the Tax March protests are planned in 150 cities. In Newark, about 100 people congregated at Federal Square. Others in the state rallied in Plainfield, Mays Landing and Newton. Larger marches were also set for Washington, D.C., Philadelphia and New York City.

Trump is the only major party nominee in more than 40 years to not release his tax returns. He claimed he didn't release his returns because he was under audit; he later said that voters don't care.

"We do care. We want to see his taxes," said Ann Demerlis, who was among hundreds who marched in Philadelphia from City Hall to an area in front of historic Independence Hall, carrying signs and chanting "We want your taxes now!"

SOMA Action is at the tax day march! pic.twitter.com/YFtnNwJqxi

-- SOMAAction (@soma_action) April 15, 2017

Organizers of the rally said they planned the marches as a way to put pressure on the president. 

"We'll never know what he's hiding or who his policies are designed to benefit," the organizers wrote on their website. "We need a president who works for all Americans -- and a tax system that does, too."

#TaxMarch in Plainfield NJ starts with a cover of Nirvana's Teen Spirit performed acoustically pic.twitter.com/LGwltsE5xV

-- Garden State Values (@IndivisibleGSV) April 15, 2017

Tuesday is the deadline for taxpayers to file returns due to the weekend and a Washington, D.C., holiday Monday.

Robert Sciarrino and The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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

One of the suspects is a 16-year-old boy

NEWARK-- Two men and a teenager were arrested for various offenses committed in the last few weeks, including a city resident wanted in connection with a shooting last month, Public Safety Director Anthony Ambrose said in a statement.

Sharif Winters (left) and Haneef Austin (Newark police)  

Around 3:15 p.m. March 26, police were called to the 100 block of Morton Street on a report of shots fired. There were no victims but police discovered property damage as a result of gunfire, Ambrose said.

Police identified Sharif Winters, 20, as a suspect. He was arrested Friday by officers from the Community Focus Division at 14th Avenue and Jones Street and charged with aggravated assault, unlawful possession of a weapon and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose.

Also Friday, Haneef Austin, 37, was arrested after police were called to a home in the 100 block of Court Street on a domestic violence complaint. A 35-year-old man said he was assaulted by a relative and that his vehicle was damaged, Ambrose said.

After receiving permission to carry out a search, police found a loaded rifle and 121 rounds of ammunition, Ambrose said. Austin was charged with simple assault, criminal mischief, terroristic threats and possession of a weapon while prohibited.

On Thursday, a 16-year-old city youth was arrested at Quitman and Westy Kinney streets after police received a report of a person with a gun in the area. The teen, who matched a description, was taken into custody after police found him in possession of a loaded .40-caliber handgun, Ambrose said.

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

As hard as it might be to believe, it was not so long ago when AM radio ruled. Cool kids listened to hot hits on AM via portable radios while dads listened to ballgames with transistor radios pressed against their ears. "The Good Guys" on 570 WMCA-AM; "Famous 56, WFIL!" "Seventy-seven, WABC!" "Murray the K and the Swingin' Soiree"...

As hard as it might be to believe, it was not so long ago when AM radio ruled.

Cool kids listened to hot hits on AM via portable radios while dads listened to ballgames with transistor radios pressed against their ears.

"The Good Guys" on 570 WMCA-AM; "Famous 56, WFIL!" "Seventy-seven, WABC!" "Murray the K and the Swingin' Soiree" "The Wonderful World of Wibbage!"

Back in the day of the transistor, North Jersey kids might have tuned to Cousin Brucie Morrow, Harry Harrison, Ron Lundy and Dan Ingram broadcasting from New York City, while south Jersey teens listened to Philly rock jocks George Michael, Hy Lit, Jerry Blavat and Long John Wade.

John Bardeen, foreground, Walter Brattain, standing, left, and William Shockley received the 1956 Nobel Prize in Physics for their work on the transistor.courtesy of Bell Labs 

The transistor, which took the radio out of bulky cabinets and put it in the palm of listeners' hands, was developed by John Bardeen, Walter Brattain and William Shockley in 1947. Bardeen, Brattain and Shockley were engineers at Bell Laboratories in Murray Hill when they came up with the tiny transistor, which eliminated the need for large vacuum tubes and made radios portable.

By 1948, the three engineers had developed a prototype transistor radio. The Regency TR-1, built by Texas Instruments in 1954, was the first practical transistor radio made available to the public and sold for $49.95 - equivalent to more than $400 in the 21st century. By the 1960s, the cost of a similar but more powerful radio had dropped below $10.

Thank you, AM radio, for bringing us top-40 hits, the British Invasion, prize patrols and wisecracking DJs. And thank you Bardeen, Brattain and Shockley, whose innovation helped make music mobile.

And here's a little flashback -- of course the sound needs to be on!

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

The new administration is seeking to target more undocumented immigrants for deportation. A conversation with the head of enforcement and removal operations in New Jersey for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

NEWARK--As the Trump administration expands its aggressive enforcement efforts against those who may have entered this country illegally, John Tsoukaris is responsible for implementing the president's new policies in New Jersey.

Tsoukaris, the Newark Field Office Director for Enforcement and Removal Operations at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, said the administration's executive order that expanded the definition of "criminal aliens" has changed the rules of engagement for his agency.

"The executive order basically expands who we should be arresting," he said during an interview in his 11^th floor conference room in the federal building in Newark.

That expansion has led to stories of undocumented immigrants who have long lived and worked in this country now finding themselves facing deportation, including some who have been in this country since early childhood being put onto a plane to a country they do not know.

What to know about the new rules on immigration

Tsoukaris, who has spent more than 20 years in immigration enforcement, said his agency is enforcing federal law, prioritizing those who have committed crimes.

"Every day we arrest people who are serious criminals in the community," he said.

Some questions and answers from the state's top federal immigration enforcer:

What does U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement do?

Our mission is one of public safety and national security and protecting our border aand immigration system. We identify, arrest and ultimately remove individuals who are in violation of law in the United States who do pose a threat to society, or to our borders to the integrity of our system.

Has your mission changed at all since the new administration came in?

Our mission has expanded a bit under the new administration. We still focus on the public safety cases national security border security. However, under the new executive order, we review anybody else that also is in the U.S. illegally. We will take action and arrest them and then make a determination based on the the case's specific circumstances if that person will remain in detention or if a bond will be issued.

Is there a difference in enforcement efforts?

We still prioritize the higher level criminals and special cases in terms of public safety. However, one difference right now is that if we encounter others who are here illegally or in violation of the law, we will take them into custody, process them and then make a determination in terms of their custody once they have been processed. Before it was certain priorities. If you didn't fall into that priority specifically you would not be arrested unless there was another public safety factor to consider.

How do you view so-called sanctuary cities?

We still will target individuals in those cities as we do in any other city. That will not stop ICE from targeting certain individuals who are public safety threats or targeted for arrest and removal by ICE.

I just want to add that all our operations are targeted. Meaning that we are looking for specific individuals that we know and we're targeting them because of their background. I know there is a lot of reporting in the media recently about raids and ICE being at a bus station for example. But that's totally not true. All our operations are targeted and people that are spreading that in the community are spreading fear for no reason.

Who do you target?

We prioritize, of course, people like criminal aliens, people who were convicted of serious crimes, people who are involved in gang activity. Those our our top priorities. And of course, national security cases. We also work on arresting people that went through the immigration cycle and were ordered deported by an immigration judge or that were deported and came back illegally. But our top priority remains the national security and public safety arena.

There's no sort of cold call roundup? You're not waiting at supermarkets?

Absolutely not...All our operations are targeted. Meaning that we are looking for specific individuals that we know ... and we're targeting them because of their background. I know there is a lot of reporting in the media recently about raids and ICE being at a bus station for example. But that's totally not true. All our operations are targeted and people that are spreading that in the community are spreading fear for no reason.

 

Are the numbers of people in detention in New Jersey rising?

Our numbers are actually lower right now. When we arrest someone, we do a custody determination based on their circumstances. We could issue a bond or bail to individuals if they are not a public safety threat. We may release them on their own recognizance if there are humanitarian concerns. Just because you get arrested doesn't necessarily mean that you're going to stay in detention.

For example?

An example could be someone with a medical condition. Someone that we arrest and may have children in school or with a babysitter for example.

If we arrest a female individual and the individual tells us that she has her children in school and there's no one else to take them from school, depending on her criminal background or if she has no criminal background, we'll release that individual on an order or recognizance to report back to the immigration court in the future for a hearing date.

Immigration advocates argue that the department is overstepping

I don't think we're overstepping. I think we're just following the law--the Immigration and Nationality Act. I don't believe we're overstepping and we do use our discretion daily when there's humanitarian concerns.

(This interview, conducted jointly with News12 of New Jersey, has been condensed and edited.)

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

The shooting remains under investigation.

NEWARK -- City police are investigating a shooting early Sunday that left two people with non-fatal injuries, police said. 

The shooting happened around 3:30 a.m. in the area of Nye Avenue and Osborn Terrace, Newark Public Safety Director Anthony Ambrose said in an email. 

He said the two victims were sitting in a stolen vehicle when they were shot. They received injuries that are not life-threatening, Ambrose added. 

No arrests have been made, and the shooting remains under investigation by the Newark Police Department. 

Alex Napoliello may be reached at anapoliello@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @alexnapoNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

The troupe marks two decades of laughs with a performance featuring cast members past and present plus an after-party at Upper Montclair's Commonwealth Club.

One of the first rules of improv is "Agree and add...." So it wasn't surprising when Deb Maclean, who cofounded the improv group Lunatic Fringe, agreed that the troupe's 20th anniversary was a big deal and then expanded on that.

"We just kept going and going and going," Maclean said. "We've been around a long time, longer than most marriages."

The group, which performs monthly at Glen Ridge Senior Community Center, will celebrate its two-decade milestone with a show featuring cast members past and present and reception April 22 at Upper Montclair's Commonwealth Club. As with all performances, the group will act out scenes based on audience suggestions. Among memorable past ideas: A skit set in Hell.

"We have a lot of repeat visitors who come up with the funniest, wackiest stuff," Maclean said.

Improv, for those unfamiliar with the term, is improvisational theater, usually comedy. Working without a script, actors make up scenes as they go, usually starting off with a suggestion from an audience member. Many "Saturday Night Live" alums got their starts with troupes like Chicago's Second City and the Upright Citizens Brigade, which has theaters on both coasts. 

New Jersey has a healthy improv scene, Maclean said, including  ticked off four other troupes based nearby, including Hackensack's Howdy, Stranger; Bloomfield's Nutty by Nature; Dover's Out of Order; and Multiple Personality Disorder at Dreamcatcher Repertory Theatre in Summit. Maclean founded Lunatic Fringe in 1997 with Paul Murphy, who is still a member, and the late Jerry Lazar. While one member of the current five-member troupe joined within the past six months, the others have worked together and played off each other for years. 

"This group has been going for so long, we can do a show with three (performers), even two," Maclean said. "Everybody just got better as they got more experienced. A lot of improv is just doing it over and over."

The group rehearses once a week. Rehearsing improv? Maclean compared it to practicing free throws in basketball: Just because you were good once, doesn't mean you'll be good again. You've got to keep practicing. Besides going over the first rule of improv -- "Yes, and..." == the group practices listening -- "When you don't know what your fellow actors will say, you really have to listen," she said -- and making statements, not asking questions -- "If you throw a question to a partner, you're not adding information. You're saying, 'You do it, not me.'"

The shows are family-friendly if the group knows they have younger audience members, but "we're not really dirty comics anyway," Maclean said. She's thrilled when people approach her off-stage and tell her a Lunatic Fringe bit has become a recurring family joke. After one show, Maclean was approached by a woman who pointed out a sullen teenager. The boy's parents were divorcing and he was miserable, the woman said. 

"She said, 'We almost couldn't get him to come out, and you made him laugh,'" Maclean recalled. "That's the best thing: that you've lightened someone's load. 

Lunatic Fringe's 20th anniversary show and reception

The Commonwealth Club

Upper Montclair

Tickets:$25 and includes show and two drinks and appetizers at reception. For reservations and Information, call 973-429-1527. 

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. 

A police officer smelled a strong odor of marijuana coming from a car during a traffic stop outside Newark Airport, police said.

NEWARK -- Port Authority police on Friday seized more than 60 pills of ecstasy and marijuana in a drug arrest outside of Newark Liberty International Airport, officials announced Sunday.

A police officer with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey around 6 p.m. pulled over a blue Mercury Villager with a temporary New Jersey license plate and a cracked front windshield near Terminal A, Port Authority spokesman Joe Pentangelo said in an email.

As the officer spoke to the driver, he smelled a strong odor of marijuana coming from the car, Pentangelo said.  

The driver, identified as Brandon Beverly, 30, of Westville, had a suspended license and a computer check showed he had 13 warrants out of Camden, Haddon Township and Mickleton, Pentangelo said.

Beverly was charged with bail jumping and driving with a suspended license.

The passenger, Jessica Stokes, 27, of Woodbury, had 63 ecstasy pills and 14 plastic containers filled with marijuana, Pentangelo said.

She was charged with possession of a controlled dangerous substance. 

Alex Napoliello may be reached at anapoliello@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @alexnapoNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Police chased an SUV wanted in connection with an early morning robbery through multiple towns on Easter Sunday, authorities said.

HARRISON - Police chased an SUV wanted in connection with an early morning robbery through multiple towns on Easter Sunday, authorities said.

Officers first tried to pull over a gray GMC Envoy that was driving down Harrison Avenue at "a high rate of speed" on the wrong side of the road at about 1 a.m., Harrison Police Lt. David Doyle said.

The driver continued into Kearny and the pursuit was "terminated due to safety concerns."

Moments after the pursuit was initially terminated, police were called to Sussex Street and South Fifth Street by a man and woman who said they were robbed. The victims told police two men got out of a gray Envoy, shoved the woman to the ground, and stole her purse that had her ID and credit cards, Doyle said.

Harrison Police then put an alert out to neighboring departments about the robbery and suspects' car. Kearny, Belleville, Jersey City, and New Jersey State Police all pursued the vehicle at some point following the robbery, Doyle said.

At about 2:30 a.m., the Envoy was found abandoned in a parking lot on the south end of town. The car was impounded and is being processed for evidence, he said.

Police believe three men, all wearing hooded sweatshirts, were in the car at the time of the robbery. No arrests have been made as of Sunday morning. 

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

The American Red Cross assisted three or four families displaced by the blaze.

MONTCLAIR -- Several families were displaced after an Easter Sunday fire tore through a house on Mission Street, an official said.

Officials with the American Red Cross were assisting three or four families who were displaced following a fire at 26 Mission Street, said spokeswoman Diane Concannon.

A dispatcher with the Montclair Fire Department said more information would be available on Monday. The fire started shortly after 10 a.m.

Photos on social media show the blaze gutted the two-story Mission Street home. It also appears firefighters had to enter a neighboring house. 

Firefighters from Montclair, West Orange, Clifton, East Orange and Bloomfield assisted at the scene. 

Alex Napoliello may be reached at anapoliello@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @alexnapoNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Dogs and cats all over New Jersey wait patiently for adoption.

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

Realistically, not everyone can adopt. People who live in apartments or developments that have no-pets policies fall into that category, as do people with allergies or disabilities that will not allow them to care for pets of their own. Adoptapet.com offers these suggestions for ways people who want to help can participate in caring for homeless animals.

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

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

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

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

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

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

More adoptable pets can be viewed here and here.

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

About 31 percent of New Jersey schools reported chronic absenteeism rates above 10 percent.

TRENTON -- Some of New Jersey's urban high schools had more than half of their students chronically absent last school year, according to new data released by the state.

Students are considered chronically absent -- a statistic that's about to become especially important for schools -- if they miss at least 10 percent of the school year, about 18 school days for students who attend the same school all year.

Statewide, the median rate of chronic absenteeism was 7 percent, with elementary school students least likely to be chronically absent. 

Beginning next school year, the state plans to make chronic absenteeism as much as 15 percent of a school's federal rating. In advance of the change, New Jersey last week released every public schools' self-reported data on chronic absenteeism, the first time it has published the data for high schools. 

The state does not analyze the data, so errors are possible, and data was withheld for schools if the rate was zero percent or above 90 percent. Use the tool at the bottom of the story to search the percentage of chronically absent students reported in each school. 

The statistics reveal concerning trends: 

• Chronic absenteeism is especially common in alternative high schools for students already at-risk of dropping out. The state's highest rate of chronic absenteeism was 89.3 percent at Fast Track Success Academy, an alternative high school in Newark. 
• Urban high schools accounted for nearly all of the 16 schools with chronic absenteeism rates above 50 percent, including traditional high schools in Newark, Trenton and Camden. 
• About 31 percent of New Jersey schools reported chronic absenteeism rates above 10 percent. 

Students who switch schools are judged on the number of possible days they could have attended at that school. So, a student could be chronically absent if they miss 6 out of 50 days in that school, for example. 

The only absences excluded in the chronic absenteeism count are college visits, religious holidays and take your children to work day, according to the state. 

Urban districts nationwide have long been plagued by chronic absenteeism, in part because students who aren't on track to graduate see little point in attending class, said Brad Haggerty, chief academic officer for Newark Public Schools. 

The district has support teams that focus on improving student attendance, and schools try to use positive reinforcement to encourage students not to miss school, he said. 

Newark this year is on track for about a 27 percent districtwide chronic absenteeism rate, down from about 31 percent last year, he said. 

Hopefully, Haggerty said, the new state emphasize on attendance will further reduce chronic absenteeism.

"Kids who come (to school) do better," Haggerty said. 

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