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N.J. pets in need: June 12, 2017

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Dogs and cats throughout New Jersey need permanent homes.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


New 26-story hotel proposed for Newark historic district

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The project would be the third hotel in the area and would be within walking distance of the Prudential Center and Newark Penn Station

NEWARK --If developer Joe Sardar has his way, a 26-story hotel will rise above the Military Park Commons Historic District.

The new hotel would be three doors down from the city's best-known hotel, the Robert Treat, and around the corner from a new TRYP by Wyndham hotel being redeveloped at the old St. Francis Hotel. 

The hotel proposed by Sardar would be the latest development project at Military Park, joining the glass Prudential Financial tower across Broad Street and One Theater Square, a 22-story apartment tower at the eastern end of Park Place.

The hotel would be walking distance to the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, the Prudential Center arena, and Newark Penn Station.

Sardar will have to gain approval from the Newark Landmarks & Historic Preservation Commission, as well as some wary neighbors on Park Place. The neighbors include public radio station, WBGO which would be subject construction noise for what officials said would be at least 18 months.

"We're going to make everyone happy," Sardar told commissioners. "Trust me."

The project, which needs a variance allowing fewer parking spaces than required by the city, will still have to be granted planning board approval, according to Sardar's lawyer, Jennifer Carillo-Perez.

Because the site is within the historic district, the historic preservation commission's approval is also needed, and Carillo-Perez said her client will wait to file its planning board application until after it receives approval from the commission.

The Military Park Commons Historic District includes:

  • 6-acre Military Park, which dates back to the 17th Century as a military training ground,
  • The New Jersey Historical Society, housed in a 1926 building also on the historic registers
  • The 1964 Robert Treat Best Western Hotel and the 1916 Robert Treat Center, an office building in the original hotel structure
  • The Military Park Building, a 1925 brick skyscraper on the State and National Registers of Historic Places.

The Robert Treat Hotel, Robert Treat Center, the Military Park Building, and the TRYP hotel on East Park Street, are all owned by the Berger Organization, headed by Miles Berger.

The historic commission chairman, Richard Partyka, along with Commissioner Robert Hartman, urged Sardar to meet with Berger and other neighbors to gain their support for the hotel.

The building would tower above the 165-foot Robert Treat Center to a height just about level with the 266-foot Military Park Building.

Only then, Partyka said, would the commission move to consider issues like the aesthetic and noise impact of the project, possibly at the board's next meeting July 12.

"I think before we can proceed anywhere with those, you need to get letters of support from your neighbors," Partyka told Sardar and his team.

Speaking briefly outside the City Council Chamber after his appearance before the commission Wednesday night, Sardar said he was in talks with several hotel chains, though he did not have an agreement with any.

He said he was currently developing a hotel in Flatbush, Brooklyn, to be operated by the Choice Hotels chain as part of its Ascend Collection.

Sardar, who said he had no projects in Newark, declined to discuss the hotel's estimated cost or its financing.

The proposed hotel's exterior of glass and steel would stand in contrast to the rest of the block's existing buildings, which are all red brick. Most are the Georgian architectural style common to downtown Newark buildings of the early 20th Century.

But in a nod to the district's existing architecture, Sardar and his architect, Anthony Villano, have proposed retaining the existing red brick facade of 56 Park Place, a single-story structure occupied by law offices, which the hotel would replace.

The hotel would also replace a building immediately west of the law offices, another one-story brick structure once occupied by a bar painted white with a black glass window. Sardar would replace that building's facade with the hotel entrance.

Immediately east of the hotel site is a two-story brick building occupied by the offices and studios of WBGO, and east of that, the five-story Historical Society building. Commissioners were concerned with how construction noise from a project likely to take at least 18 months would impact the station. 

So were WBGO Trustee Karl Piirimae and President and CEO Amy Niles, who both attended Wednesday's meeting and addressed the commission.

Niles questioned the need for a third hotel in area. And Piirimae, a lawyer with the firm Windels Marx, said the proposed structure would "change the character of the neighborhood." 

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

 

Meet of Champions medal count: Which sections and counties rocked the podium?

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The answers might surprise you.

Orange readers celebrate milestone

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Students exceed reading goals set by the Board of Education.

 

ORANGE -- The Orange Board of Education recognized students for helping to achieve a lofty goal they set for the entire community in November 2016: Read one million pages by May 1.

The goal of The Orange Page Turners' Reading Challenge was to promote reading and advance students' reading skills, and they did that by challenging the entire community to read. "Each Orange Township resident and business owner was challenged to promote reading by participating in one of the online reading platforms," said Karen Harris, district director of English Language Arts, who spearheaded the effort. "The community embraced the challenge head-on."

To help reach her goal, Harris formed partnerships with Scholastics Inc. and Reading Plus, which provided student incentives, and Orange schools began competing against each other for top reader honors. In December, a group high school students created theme song called "Don't Stop the Reading," that was played in all schools to promote the challenge.

By May 1, the residents of Orange read 1,029,591 pages. "Over the last few months, I learned that my initial hunch was correct: that in order to get kids to read, they need to belong to a community of readers. By creating a shared goal across Orange, we were able to do just that," said Harris. The district celebrated the reading milestone by hosting a Literacy Block Party June 2 at Lincoln Avenue School.

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

Baseball's 3 wild weeks: 25 great storylines from the state tournament

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Breaking down the top teams and big themes from the 2017 state tournament.

NJ.com boys lacrosse final Top 50 teams for 2017

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The final Top 50 rankings for the 2017 boys lacrosse season.

KPMG pays $420K to settle Asian discrimination allegations

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The mega auditing firm did not admit to any wrongdoing as part of the settlement agreement.

SHORT HILLS -- Mega auditing firm KPMG has agreed to pay out $420,000 to settle allegations that it discriminated against 60 Asian job applicants, the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs announced.

As part of the conciliation agreement, KPMG did not admit any wrongdoing.

The settlement comes after a Department of Labor investigation said the firm discriminated against Asian applicants for associate audit jobs at its Short Hills facility between October 2011 and March 2013, the department said. The company, investigators said, violated an executive order prohibiting federal contractors from discriminating against employees based on race.

KPMG has about $14 million in contracts with several federal departments, including the U.S. departments of Energy, and Housing and Urban Development, NASA and the IRS, it said.

"Together, the department and KPMG will ensure that this issue is resolved, and that the company has the measures in place to comply with federal hiring and employment law," OFCCP Acting Director Thomas Dowd said in a release about the settlement.

The $420,000 payout will cover the 60 applicants' back pay, interest, and benefits. The settlement also includes job opportunities, as they become available, to six of the affected applicants.

In response to the settlement, a KPMG spokesman Monday touted the company's hiring practices.

"KPMG has long been recognized as a great place to work and build a career, including being named the 2017 Best Employer for Asian Pacific Americans (APAs) by the Asia Society," he said.

"We could not be more proud of our diverse and inclusive culture, which influences everything we do and is an essential element of our business strategy." 

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

 

Near-record heat wave to be followed by 20-degree temperature drop

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It may be hard to imagine now, when it's steamy outside, but another late-spring cooldown is on the way.

If you like scorching-hot days in June, enjoy this heat wave while it lasts. In just a few days, New Jersey will be hit with another cooldown, with daytime temperatures running 20 to 24 degrees lower than they will be Monday and Tuesday.

In Newark, the mercury is expected to soar to 95 degrees on Monday -- which would tie the city's record high for June 12 -- followed by a high of 93 on Tuesday, 80 on Wednesday, then only 72 on Thursday and 71 on Friday, according to forecasters from the National Weather Service.

If this forecast pans out, that will be a 24-degree drop in the daytime high. 

In Morristown, the temperature is forecast to reach 93 degrees on Monday but only 75 on Thursday and 71 on Friday. In Trenton, the mercury will soar to 95 on Monday but only 74 on Friday. At Atlantic City International Airport in Pomona, Monday's high is expected to reach 93 degrees, but temperatures will stay in the mid-70s on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, forecasters said.

The normal high for mid-June in New Jersey ranges from 80 to 82 degrees.

So, after a brief heat wave, the region will be back to a cooler-than-normal weather pattern for several days, thanks to a cold front moving through from the Great Lakes. Forecasters say the cooldown will be short-lived, as temperatures warm up into the 80s this weekend and early next week, but intense 90-degree heat is not expected to return for at least two weeks.

Monday's record highs

Among the record highs for June 12 that are being watched:

  • Newark: 95 degrees (1973)
  • Philadelphia: 95 degrees (2015)
  • Trenton: 94 degrees (1933)
  • Atlantic City Airport: 93 degrees (2016)
  • New York City: 93 degrees (1973)
  • Reading: 93 degrees (2015)
  • Allentown: 92 degrees (2015)
  • Mount Pocono: 87 degrees (1967)

Today's hottest places

As of 12:55 p.m. Monday, these were among the hottest temperature readings reported at climate stations monitored by the New Jersey Weather & Climate Network at Rutgers University:

  • Wayne (Passaic County): 95 degrees
  • Hawthorne (Passaic County): 94 degrees
  • New Brunswick (Middlesex County): 94 degrees
  • West Creek (Ocean County): 94 degrees
  • Oswego Lake (Burlington County): 93 degrees
  • Red Lion (Burlington County): 93 degrees 

Len Melisurgo may be reached at LMelisurgo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @LensReality or like him on Facebook. Find NJ.com on Facebook.


Men plead not guilty in killing of 3 in Maplewood

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The two are charged with murder, robbery, burglary, among other offenses.

NEWARK -- Two men accused of killing three people at a Maplewood apartment complex in January pleaded not guilty Monday to murder charges in state Superior Court.

Lavelle Davis, 37, and Jimmy P. Mays Jr., 34, appeared separately before Judge Ronald D. Wigler in Newark on an 11-count indictment that charges each man with robbery, burglary and other offenses, in addition to murder and felony murder.

State Public Defender Joseph E. Krakora and defense attorney Michael Robbins, who represent Davis and Mays, respectively, asked Wigler to enter not-guilty pleas on behalf of their clients. While Davis appeared before Wigler dressed in a jail uniform, Mays was led before the court wearing an untucked pink dress shirt.

Authorities said the bodies of Michael Davis, 45, Roshana Kenilson, 30, and Lance Fraser, 44, were discovered by firefighters on Jan. 29, after someone reported not being able to reach the friends. All three were shot to death, according to investigators.

Mays and Lavelle Davis -- both formerly of Atlantic County -- were arrested separately in February: Mays in Columbia, Md., and Davis in Yonkers, N.Y., according to the prosecutor's office.

Officials have not elaborated on the alleged narrative of the crime, although court records show the indictment includes charges of possessing a weapon during a drug offense and criminal restraint risking serious bodily injury.

The Prosecutor's Office has said Kenilson, of Paterson, and Fraser, of Newark, did not live in the apartment and were visiting Michael Davis at the time of the alleged crime.

Court records show Wigler previously granted motions by the prosecutors to keep both men jailed pending trial.

Assistant Prosecutor Carlo Fioranelli described the discovery in the case as "quite voluminous," and indicated in court that the state is still waiting for a report from the FBI of cell tower records examined in the case.

Robbins told NJ Advance Media the charges against his client represent "a serious case."

"One built however, on circumstantial rather than, direct evidence," he said in an email following Monday's arraignment. "The prosecution here is endeavoring to substitute cell phone and cell tower records for that of eyewitness testimony. In our view the accuracy, integrity and admissibility of such evidence is the subject of debate."

A spokesperson for the state Public Defender's Office was not immediately available for comment Monday.

Wigler scheduled both Davis and Mays to return to court July 24 for an initial disposition conference.

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

 

Newark man pleads not guilty to charges he tied up, killed 3

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Prosecutors said he also assaulted five others in the November 2016 attack.

NEWARK -- A city man accused of killing three people during a brutal attack on a Hedden Terrace household last fall pleaded not guilty to murder charges Monday in state Superior Court.

The Prosecutor's Office has alleged that Jeremy Arrington, 27, tied up and then shot or stabbed six of the home's occupants on Nov. 5, 2016, killing Syasia McBurroughs, 23, and siblings Aerial Little Whitehurst, 8, and Al-Jahon Whitehurst, 11.

Appearing before Judge Ronald D. Wigler on Monday, Arrington, who has remained jailed at the Essex County Correctional Facility since his Nov. 6 arrest, entered a plea of not guilty to a 29-count indictment through his attorney, Olubukola Adetula.

Authorities said Arrington had a history with the family, and was angered by a Facebook post shared by someone inside the home, in which authorities said he was wanted in connection for an Oct. 9 sexual assault and shooting.

In addition to the murder charges, he faces attempted murder and aggravated assault charges for allegedly stabbing two 13-year-old twins and a 29-year-old woman, as well as attacking two others. All five survived the attack, according to prosecutors.

Adetula told Wigler he has received all of the discovery in the case to date. Assistant Prosecutor Justin Edwab, representing the state, said the state is still waiting on one of the three autopsy reports.

"Even what we turned over already is voluminous," he said.

Arrington previously pleaded guilty in December to charges including second-degree burglary and pointing a firearm for two instances in July and August 2015 in which prosecutors said he terrorized an ex-girlfriend.

An assistant prosecutor at the time said it had yet to be determined whether Arrington would serve that sentence concurrent with or consecutive to any sentence imposed if convicted in the murder case.

Arrington was indicted in the Hedden Terrace case in May.

Wigler scheduled him to return to court Sept. 11 for an initial disposition conference.

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

East Orange shelter becomes a "Happy Space" for the homeless | Carter

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East Orange shelter gives the homeless a reason to smile.

The cafeteria is now a cafe with oval, waist-high tables, matching teal chairs and tablecloths. Cushy lounge- style sofas sit near soothing light fixtures. A flat-screen television hangs from the wall.

Upstairs in this four-story East Orange refuge, the brown leather couch and funky yellow scooped-back chair could be in anybody's living room. A narrow hallway on another floor has become a peaceful area to socialize or to dabble in arts and crafts.  Framed pictures on navy-colored walls offer encouraging thoughts: "You matter."  "You belong."

MORE: Recent Barry Carter columns 

All of this is intentional for the residents of Isaiah House, a shelter on North Munn Avenue that provides an array of social services to those referred there. In addition to giving 179 people a place to live in the past year and feeding almost 5,000 people annually in the community, Isaiah House has a message to convey: The men and women there do matter. They do belong. They deserve creative spaces like this to rebuild their lives. 

Happy Spaces.  It's the best title for a project that Isaiah House unveiled to the community Friday evening, bringing awareness to the difficult work of helping people get back on their feet.

Mariyam Shaida is a heartfelt example of what they do. She lost her job six months ago as an office manager, then her apartment in Hudson County. Isaiah House, she said, took her and didn't judge. Anyone can wind up homeless, but now her life is back on track.

On Saturday, she started a job as a concession worker at Red Bull Arena in Harrison.

"I went from feeling helpless to hopeful, '' Shaida said.  "Mariyam has found her Happy Space.''

So has Tyleakea Price after serving 20 years for armed robbery and aggravated assault. A life once burdened with addiction, Price recently graduated from Passaic County Community College with a degree in culinary arts. She starts a job next month as a food prep worker.

"You need a place like this to lift you up,'' Price said. "They don't allow me to have a pity party.''

Dominque Bradshaw is on her way, too. The single mom of a 4-year-old son said she is no longer a victim of domestic abuse and is in school, studying for her General Educational Development diploma. 

The three women and other residents love what Isaiah House has done with the place on their behalf. Bradshaw's son, Sean Jones, didn't have any complaints, either. He made a mad dash toward the kid's section in the cafe.

The renovations, all the result of volunteer work, come at a time when Isaiah House struggles to stay open because of funding cuts from the federal government. But the nonprofit agency, which opened in 1988, has the same fight as the residents it serves and is determined to stay open and not to stand still.

It pulled this project off in six weeks. Credit Kristen Beveridge of South Orange, the board president, for managing the tight deadline. She ran the show, calling everyone she could think of to help revamp seven rooms with vibrant colors, lighting and furniture so the residents can have the comforts of home.

The Go Fund Me page she set up netted $40,000.  Twelve designers jumped on board, volunteering their time for a good cause. Contractors and electricians got involved.

This was a no-brainer venture for Beveridge, an entrepreneur.

"I believe that space impacts how people feel every morning when they wake up,'' Beveridge said. "Regardless of where you are, you deserve to live in a beautiful happy space.''

The design community understood the charge.  Dreary rooms throughout the building became lively, welcoming spaces.

MORE CARTER: Residents at stately East Orange building want security

Walls in the room for mothers and babies are now bright sky blue, instead of plain white. There's comfortable furniture and carpet, too. In the boys lounge, a football field is painted on a wall that faces an assortment of cozy blue couches and brown chairs. The computer lab combines work and relaxation. There are new bookcases, orange deep- seated chairs and new desks.

"The designers did not design a shelter,'' said Zammeah Bivins-Gibson, the executive director at Isaiah House. "The designers designed as if they were designing a client's space and they made us really feel that there is value in everyone who lives here.''

Al Tereek Nash-Bey, a resident, thinks so.  He's been to other shelters, but this "is one of the better places,'' Nash-Bey said, welcoming him with open arms

Sirena Felton, a resident, couldn't agree more.

She's been at Isaiah House twice in her life, but is using the makeover of the agency as motivation to move on.

"Seeing the spaces is a picture of what could be,'' Felton said. "I would love for my apartment to look like this.''

And so does Isaiah House.

Barry Carter: (973) 836-4925 or bcarter@starledger.com or 

nj.com/carter or follow him on Twitter @BarryCarterSL

Softball: NJ.com's final Top 50 teams for 2017

This blow-your-mind Korean BBQ joint is opening this week

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Kimchi Smoke, known for its brisket-stuffed glazed doughnuts, is opening its second location after moving from Bergenfield to Westwood last year

Robert Cho, the mad genius of New Jersey barbecue, is officially opening his Montclair outpost of Kimchi Smoke this week, where chonuts (brisket, cheese, bacon and smoked kimchi tucked inside a glazed doughnut) and bourbon vanilla pudding with Cap'n Crunch await. You've been warned.

Cho, who moved his barbecue shack from Bergenfield to Westwood last year, will open the 40-seat BYO Kimchi Smokehouse II on Wednesday. It's at 345 Bloomfield Ave., a block away from the Wellmont Theater, in the storefront vacated last fall by Bryan Gregg's acclaimed Escape. 

In addition to his classic Bad as Texas Brisket, which is smoked for 12 hours, and his Cholander Fries, which are loaded with pulled pork, bourbon chipotle sauce, smoked kimchi and cheddar, and the Chonut XXX, which features pork belly instead of brisket, you can find a couple of new additions to the menu, including Korean Redneck Tacos 2.0 with a homemade salsa verde, and a summer salad with romaine lettuce, grilled corn, grilled cherry tomatoes and Korean BBQ cauliflower (yes, a vegetarian offering!). 

The opening week hours are noon to 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Wednesday through Friday, noon to 9 p.m. on Saturday, and 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday.

Kimchi Smokehouse II, 345 Bloomfield Ave., (973) 744-3900 kimchismoke.com 

Vicki Hyman may be reached at vhyman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @vickihy or like her on Facebook

Zhang wraps 1st NJSO season leaving audiences wanting more

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This season wasn't without its imperfections, but new music director Xian Zhang has already made significant strides with the orchestra

The 94th season of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra came to a close on Sunday afternoon at NJPAC in Newark. The matinee concert, consisting of pieces by Brahms and Shostakovich, also marked the end of the NJSO's first season led by Music Director Xian Zhang

Give both the orchestra and conductor credit for finishing strong. This season wasn't without its imperfections, but Zhang has already made significant strides -- and after this final concert, she has left her audiences wanting more.

The season finale program began with Brahms' Second Piano Concerto. Zhang walked onto the NJPAC stage -- wearing her standard black Nehru jacket with black slacks -- alongside soloist Yefim Bronfman. The two have been collaborating together with other orchestras for a few years, and after the lovely, opening French horn sounds emitted by Chris Komer, they launched into a rich interpretation of the 136-year old concerto.

Bronfman played the opening piano passages of the first movement with a big, muscular sound combined with clear, articulate phrasing.  Zhang was equally vigorous with the orchestra, calling for strong attacks that resulted in ear-grabbing musical sequences. Later in the movement, Bronfman showed his range with a lightness of touch in some dazzling, high octave curly-cues. The NJPAC audience applauded after the first movement, and one could hardly fault them for the breach of etiquette.

The second movement was also well-played, but it was the slow Largo that truly impressed. The third movement began with an elegant solo for principal cellist Jonathan Spitz. He played this with long, flowing lines that never upstaged Bronfman. For his part, Bronfman's piano accompaniment to the Brahms constant stream of strings in this movement was graceful yet never sappy. 

The whole thing ached with romantic feeling. Brahms can often sound starchy, and indeed the 2nd Piano Concerto is so lovely it can easily drift into the territory of elevator music. Not here. The grand, expressive sounds felt rooted in real human emotion, not just puffery and show. By the time Spitz and his cello returned for the movement's final notes, all in the audience were under Zhang and Bronfman's spell. No one made a sound.

Next they ripped into fourth movement -- a big finale, but one still containing the clarity with which the piece opened. A big ovation followed, and Bronfman went immediately over to Spitz and insisted the cellist take a solo bow. 

After intermission came yet another acknowledged masterpiece, Shostakovich's legendary 5th Symphony. The roughly 45-minute work has a story almost as good as the music. Back in 1936, the Russian wunderkind composer was denounced by the government after one of of his operas was regarded as too modern. A few months later, he managed to write a perfect symphony that won over audiences, critics and apparatchiks alike.

The symphony turns 80 this year, and 2017 also marks the 50th anniversary of when the NJSO first performed it. In Zhang's hands, the first movement began with strong cello playing by the whole section and finished with the lovely playing of the haunting celeste notes by Elizabeth DeFelice. The second movement didn't quite catch fire, but Zhang got her band's string section to perform admirably in the slow third movement. The big, rousing finish showed Zhang and the orchestra at their best: flashy, brass blasts; rousing chords; expertly paced beats.

After just one season -- handling work that was programmed long before her arrival -- Zhang made clearly made her mark. The symphony is in extremely capable hands. Now it's time to see how high it can soar. 

New Jersey Symphony Orchestra

Season Finale with Zhang & Bronfman

June 11, New Jersey Performing Arts Center, Newark

James C. Taylor can be reached writejamesctaylor@gmail.com. Find NJ.com/Entertainment on Facebook.

Man, 63, dies after hit-and-run in Newark

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No arrests after man died Sunday.

NEWARK -- Officials on Tuesday identified the 63-year-old man who died after he was struck by a vehicle that fled the scene in Newark's South Ward.

Donald Jones, of Newark, was hit around 11:20 p.m. Saturday as he crossed Elizabeth Avenue, near West Peddie Street, according to Essex County Prosecutor's Office spokeswoman Katherine Carter.

Jones was taken to University Hospital, where he died around 1 a.m. Sunday, Carter said. An investigation was ongoing and there were no immediate arrests.

The incident was the second fatal hit-and-run in Newark last week. A 49-year-old man, Rodney Stroughn, was struck and killed Wednesday afternoon on Rose Street.

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

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Accused gas station robbers arrested after chase, car crash, police say

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Two men allegedly robbed Bloomfield service station.

BLOOMFIELD -- Two men face charges in a gunpoint gas station robbery in Bloomfield after a police pursuit that ended with a crash, authorities said Tuesday.

Clinton Scott, 45, of Montclair, and William Jones, 46, of Newark, pulled up to the Beach Street Shell station shortly after 6 p.m. Monday and asked for $2 worth of gas, police said. Scott demanded money from the attendant while Jones, the passenger, pointed a gun, police said.

The worker handed over $300 before the pair drove away on John F. Kennedy Drive, according to police. Township police soon saw the wanted car and a chase continued into Irvington, police said.

The pursuit ended when the car collided with another vehicle on Prospect Avenue in Irvington, according to authorities. There were no serious injuries reported from the crash.

Officers from the Bloomfield and Irvington police departments along with the Essex County Sheriff's Office arrested both men, authorities said. The pair both face robbery and conspiracy charges.

Scott, the driver, was also charged with aggravated assault and eluding authorities. Police charged Jones with weapons offenses.

In a statement, township Police Director Samuel DeMaio credited the joint efforts of Bloomfield Patrol Officer Louis Vitiello, county sheriff's officers and Irvington police with bringing the arrests.

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

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Beloved orchestra teacher dies in cycling crash

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The Paramus school district was devastated this week by news of the death of Jocelyn Gertel, a long-time middle-school orchestra teacher

PARAMUS - The public school district was devastated this week by news of the sudden death of Jocelyn Gertel, a long-time middle-school orchestra teacher, a school administrator said Tuesday.

Gertel, who lived in Ridgewood, died last week following a bicycling accident in Hawthorne.

A spokesman for the Hawthorne Police Department was not available to comment Tuesday on details of the accident.

According to online tributes from friends, Gertel was riding her bike downhill when she lost control and pitched over the handlebars. She was taken to St. Joseph's Medical Center in Paterson, where she later died.

"The school community is very devastated by her loss," said Michele Robinson, superintendent of schools. "She was very well-respected, very well-liked and she will be greatly missed."

Gertel taught orchestra at both public middle schools in Paramus and had been employed in the district for more than 20 years, Robinson said.

The teacher was a talented violinist who graduated from the University of Michigan with a bachelor's degree in music and from the Manhattan School of Music with a master's in violin performance. Recently, she was a member of Romanza Music and other ensembles.

Gertel was also a longtime member of the Bicycle Touring Club of North Jersey, which also mourned her death. 

Fellow cyclist Ken Levins of Tenafly recalled how the cycling team became her family.

"She had so much to give and so many people in our community were touched by her talent and kindness in so many ways," Levin said on Facebook.

Cello coach Marty Steinberg of West Orange said Gertel's mother, Barbara, had decided on organ donation "so even in passing, our beloved Jocelyn will be helping others live."

A graveside service is planned for 1 p.m. Wednesday at Wellwood Cemetery in West Babylon, N.Y. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in Gertel's name to the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

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

 

Christie says Gateway Tunnel faces no delays despite lack of dollars in Trump budget

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The governor says he has "confidence" that the president and the U.S. transportation secretary still want to build the Gateway Tunnel to New York.

TRENTON  -- Gov. Chris Christie on Tuesday professed "confidence" that the proposed Gateway Tunnel under the Hudson River will proceed without delays, even though President Trump's most recent budget eliminated a crucial source of funding for it.

"I had a very good conversation last week with (U.S. Transportation) Secretary (Elaine) Chao, said Christie, speaking to reporters at the groundbreaking of renovations at Newark's Liberty International Airport on Tuesday.

"I absolutely believe that we will be partnering with the federal government and the state of New York to build a Gateway Tunnel and that there won't be any delays of our current time frame." 

Trump's spending plan for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1 limits funding to the Federal Transit Administration's Capital Investment Program to projects with contracts already in place. The Gateway Tunnel is not one of them.

Trump official calls Gateway tunnel 'absolute priority'

The pair of North River Tunnels that carry Amtrak and New Jersey Transit rail lines under the Hudson River between Weehawken and New York's Penn Station are more than 100 years old, and will need to be taken out of service in the next decade for safety reasons.

Last month, U.S. Sen. Cory Booker warned Chao that the loss of one of them "would literally cause a traffic Armageddon in the region."

Chao, in turn, reassured Booker that the Gateway project remained "an absolute priority" for the Trump administration.

On Tuesday, Christie said he had "confidence"  that the secretary and the president "are going to make that happen."

"We've already committed the money from the New Jersey perspective," said Christie, before adding that funding might ultimately come not just from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, but from "other partners in the private sector, too."

Amtrak's $24 billion Gateway Program could potentially use a public-private partnership model to build and finance portions of the tunnel.

An overhaul of Amtrak-owned tracks and switches leading into New York's Penn Station is about to get underway next month.

Christie last month negotiated $15 million worth of fare reductions for NJ Transit commuters who will experience significant delays as a result of the repairs.

In 2010, the governor cancelled the so-called ARC, or Access to the Region's Core, tunnel out of concerns that the project was ill-conceived and exposed New Jersey to virtually unlimited cost overruns.

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

Man robbed jewelry store, carjacked woman at gunpoint, feds say

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The FBI said he threatened to kill a store employee if the man's coworkers didn't cooperate.

Orlando L. Nieves-VelezOrlando L. Nieves-Velez. (Essex County Correctional Facility)

NEWARK -- A federal grand jury has indicted a city man in connection with the violent armed robbery of a jewelry store and subsequent carjacking of a passerby last December.

The indictment, filed June 6 in U.S. District Court in Newark, charges Orlando Nieves-Velez, 29, with robbery affecting interstate commerce, carjacking and using a firearm during a violent crime.

Newark police in January announced Nieves-Velez had been arrested by the U.S. Marshals Service in Florida in connection with the Dec. 1 robbery of Vinhas Jewelers on Ferry Street.

Nieves-Velez entered the jewelry store around 11:15 a.m. that morning and asked to see some necklaces, before pointing a handgun at the employee assisting him, according to a criminal complaint filed by the FBI.

Investigators say he then pointed the gun at another employee, whose head he pressed against the glass display counter with his gun at the back of the man's neck. After threatening to kill the employee if his coworkers did not cooperate, Nieves-Velez allegedly fled the store with a fanny pack stuffed with jewelry.

After walking down the street a short distance, the complaint states, he darted into traffic and pointed his gun at the driver of an approaching car, which police have previously identified as a beige 2006 Nissan Altima. Police said that after forcing the woman out of the car, Nieves-Velez took off in the vehicle, which was later recovered near Somme Street and Raymond Boulevard.

Court records show the case has been assigned to U.S. District Judge Claire C. Cecchi in Newark.

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

Christie breaks ground at Newark airport terminal project

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Improvements are coming to Terminal A

 

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) -- A $2.4 billion overhaul of Newark Liberty International Airport's Terminal A officially got underway Tuesday as New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie broke ground on the redevelopment of the 44-year-old facility.

The terminal, one of three at the airport, will get three new roadway bridges, a new parking garage and an upgraded interior to accommodate more passengers.

The new terminal is expected to be completed by 2022.

Christie called the airport "an essential economic engine for New Jersey, generating thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in activity."

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates the airport along with New York's LaGuardia and JFK Airports, estimates the project will create more than 10,000 jobs and nearly $1 billion in direct payroll wages, and generate $3.9 billion in regional economic activity.

Newark handled more than 40 million passengers in 2016, according to statistics compiled by the Port Authority. That placed it 15th among U.S. airports and 46th among airports worldwide.

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