Keith Kinard, the executive director of the Newark Housing Authority, left his position earlier this month a member of the Board of Commissioners confirmed to NJ Advance Media.

NEWARK -- The executive director of the Newark Housing Authority left his position more than a month before his contract expired on Sept. 26, a member of the Board of Commissioners confirmed to NJ Advance Media. 

Keith Kinard, who served as director for 11 years, left earlier this month but Commissioner Fausto Baez said he wasn't clear on the circumstances of his departure. 

The board voted not to renew Kinard's contract and move in a new direction earlier this year. But Kinard was not expected to leave his post until next month. 

Attempts to reach Kinard this week by email and phone were unsuccessful. 

Board chairman Charles Bell previously said the NHA needed to move forward with a new leader but praised Kinard's tenure. 

"Mr. Kinard, under the circumstances, has done a good job here at the Newark Housing Authority and we really appreciate the time and effort that has served us very well," Bell said during a March public meeting where the board voted not to renew Kinard's contract.

Kinard, 48, took helm of the largest public housing authority in the state in June 2006. He earned $222,721 a year, public records show. 

The NHA is an autonomous city agency that receives federal funding to manage public housing properties in the city. The mayor appoints members of the board who in turn hire and fire the director.

Baez said Chief Legal Officer Ellen M. Harris was appointed interim director while the board interviews candidates to replace Kinard. 

"They're going to have to answer a lot of questions," Baez said of the candidates. He said the board had to ensure the new director "is prepared and ready to do the job."

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

Mayor Ras Baraka praised the candidates for running toward danger while others shy away.

NEWARK-- Since she was a child, Alaino Alfano said she dreamed of becoming a firefighter and following in the footsteps of many of the men in her family. 

"This is my life dream. It's always been in me to want to be part of the legacy," said Alfano, a former teacher whose father, brothers and uncle have served in Newark's fire department.

And on Tuesday, the 30-year-old stood alongside 67 other firefighter candidates being welcomed into the Newark Fire Division Training Academy during a ceremony in St. Casimir's Roman Catholic Church.

Speaking to a small crowd of proud family and friends, Mayor Ras Baraka praised the candidates who chose a career where in which you run toward danger while others shy away. 

"You will go through some difficult times in the weeks ahead of you," he said. "What you're doing is risking your lives every single day."

The candidates hope to officially join the city's 600-member department after they complete a 13-week training session that includes mental and physical tests.

Tuesday's diverse group of 68 candidates represent the Academy's largest class, with one woman, 22 Hispanic, 18 black and 28 white recruits. If hired, Alfano will join seven other female firefighters in the Newark Fire Department. 

"My goal is to be the best firefighter I can be and eventually move up down the line," added Alfano, the only woman inducted into the academy on Tuesday.

But the road to earning the badge isn't easy. 

The recruits will spend the next few weeks studying for daily quizzes and battling simulated fires in controlled facilities, said Deputy Chief Richard Gail. At the end, each candidate needs to pass two state tests. 

"They'll learn how to use their gear, climb ladders, use the equipment, start saws, vent and break windows," Gail said of the program. "It's a lot of work."

The historically-large group of inductees is part of a city-wide effort to increase funding toward the Newark Fire Department.

Earlier in July, the city reopened the Park Avenue Firehouse following year-long renovations aimed at repairing the building's walls, floor and ceiling. 

The city, Baraka said, is continuing to purchase updated equipment and dedicate money toward hiring firefighters. Newark currently has 19 firehouses operating throughout its wards and 40 of the recruits' salaries will be paid through a federal Homeland Security grant. 

"This is what you're becoming a part of," he said. "Our dedication and commitment to the fire department is unparalleled."

Avalon Zoppo may be reached at azoppo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter at @AvalonZoppo. Find NJ.com on Facebook. 

Guns were traced to crimes in New Jersey, federal authorities said.

NEWARK -- Three Georgia men and an Essex County woman were charged Tuesday with conspiring to illegally sell firearms destined for New Jersey in a case that led investigators to seize more than 40 weapons, including an assault rifle, federal authorities said.

Tyheed "Solo" Jefferson, 33, of Albany, Georgia, Carnell Jefferson, 25, also of Albany, Mathias Connor, 41, of Atlanta, Georgia, and Nakiya Glenn, 28, of Irvington, were accused in the gun trafficking scheme, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Newark announced.

Federal authorities said Tyheed Jefferson, Connor, and Glenn were part of the gun trafficking ring that used "straw purchasers" to buy and transport firearms in Georgia between January and July. The practice involves using a buyer to purchase weapons for another person, who may want to avoid background checks or illegally sell the guns in another state.

The U.S. Attorney's Office said Tyheed Jefferson is also charged with distributing methamphetamine, stemming from a May 24 sale of five guns.

Tracking 'crime guns' in N.J.: Where they come from, where they go

Connor is accused of helping Tyheed Jefferson, identified by prosecutors as the ringleader of the alleged gun trafficking scheme, with obtaining, moving and storing the guns in Georgia.

In at least two transactions, the guns were sold in Georgia, knowing the weapons were bound for New Jersey, according to federal authorities. Firearms were also bought in Georgia and resold in New Jersey on at least five cases.

Glenn, the Irvington resident, stored some of those firearms at her residence, federal authorities said.

Carnell Jefferson purchased multiple firearms at federally-licensed dealers in Georgia on behalf of another conspirator between October 2014 and July 2016 knowing that the weapons were being taken to New Jersey, according to the investigation. Jefferson was paid $50 per gun.

Guns that Jefferson purchased were linked to unspecified "criminal activity" in New Jersey between December 2014 and January, court papers said.

Authorities said they seized 47 firearms as part of the probe, which included an assault rifle with a 75-round magazine, semi-automatic handguns, a shotgun, revolvers and numbers of ammunition.

Tyheed Jefferson, Connor, and Glenn were charged with unlawfully selling firearms to an individual that they knew did not reside in their state of residence. Tyheed Jefferson was also charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Carnell Jefferson was charged with conspiracy to engage in the business of unlicensed firearms dealing.

Authorities said Connor remained at large. It was not immediately clear if any of those facing charges had retained defense lawyers.

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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Families that lost loved ones killed in the line of duty were treated to a day of fun at the 10th Annual Law Enforcement Survivors Day in Seaside Heights.

SEASIDE HEIGHTS -- Families that lost law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty gathered at Breakwater Beach and Casino Pier in Seaside Heights on Tuesday for the 10th Annual Law Enforcement Survivors Day.

The event, hosted by the Storino family, is not a memorial. It's meant to be a fun day for the survivors of police officers killed in the line of duty.  

State, county and local law enforcement officials, as well as Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno, attended the event. Guadagno stressed the importance of the gathering.

"For all of you that are here right now, look around you because everybody here is experiencing exactly the same thing," she said. "The idea is for you to exchange memories, remember all the good things and understand you are not alone." 

Nearly 500 police officers in New Jersey have been killed in the line of duty since 1854.

"We share a bond that can't be broken as the families of survivors," said New Jersey State Police Lt. Colonel Patrick Callahan. "We are strong and resilient when we are together."

Nick Dell'Acqua, of Toms River, a retired Essex County police detective, attended the event in honor of his former partner, Patrolman Keith Neumann, who was accidentally shot and killed by a fellow officer during a pre-dawn drug raid in Irvington in August of 1989.  

"This a way of honoring Keith and all the other fallen officers," Dell'Acqua said. "They are not forgotten and are still in our memories."

Families who attended were given free access to the waterpark, rides on the Casino Pier and a free arcade card. Lunch was also provided.  

Patti Sapone may be reached at psapone@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Instagram @psapo,  Twitter @psapone.  Find NJ.com on Facebook.

East Orange denied liability in the 2001 arrest, during which a woman in her 60s was slapped and kicked

EAST ORANGE -- The city of East Orange isn't obligated to pay a cash judgment on behalf of two city police officers who were found to have used excessive force on an older resident during her arrest several years ago, a state appeals court ruled Monday.

Esmay Parchment in 2012. The East Orange woman, who died last December, won a civil suit stemming from a 2001 encounter with East Orange police but never saw any of the $300,000 awarded to her. (File photo)  

Esmay Parchment was in the shower getting ready for church on Feb. 4, 2001, when city police officers knocked on her door. After she wrapped herself in a towel, Parchment answered, and the officers burst in.  

The officers attacked her as she lay naked and handcuffed on her kitchen floor because she did not reply quickly enough to their questions, Parchment, who was in her 60s at the time, later said.

Parchment filed a civil suit in 2003 accusing two officers, William Flood and Kim Johnson, of using excessive force and wrongful arrest. Six years later, in 2009, a jury in Essex County ruled in favor of Parchment, awarding her $300,000 plus attorney's fees.  

But her victory in court was merely the start of another lengthy legal battle.

Lawyers for Flood and Johnson said neither were able to pay the settlement. When Parchment sought the cash from the City of East Orange, the city argued the officers were individually liable, not the city itself, and declined to pay.

Parchment's attorney, Michael J. Fioretti, argued at the time that the city breached its obligations under the conditions of the verdict, was in no position to deny liability for its officers' actions and also failed to uphold its "duty of good faith."

But on Monday, the appeals court upheld an earlier decision on behalf of the city, ruling that East Orange was not specifically required to "indemnify" the two officers. The city did not participate in a joint-insurance fund nor did it agree to insure its employees, the panel wrote.

Parchment died last December while the case was still pending before the Appellate Court, Fioretti said.

In reacting to the ruling, Parchment's attorney said East Orange has no recourse for citizens to challenge police.

"The city can use tax dollars against the citizens and then pull the rug out from under them if they file a lawsuit," Fioretti said.

The court also ruled that the police officers' union secured an obligation from the city to provide legal counsel for its police -- which East Orange supplied -- but did not reach an agreement with the city to cover any judgments reached against individual officers.

Fioretti said the two officers have since retired and filed for bankruptcy. 

A call to the lawyer representing East Orange was not immediately returned. 

Tom Haydon may be reached at thaydon@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @Tom_HaydonSL. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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

State Police say they found the man, an undocumented immigrant accused in stabbing death, in Newark.

Jusselo Dias Dos Reis, 44. NJSP 

TRENTON -- A Massachusetts man wanted for allegedly stabbing a man to death in Massachusetts was arrested this week in New Jersey, authorities said.

Jusselo Dias Dos Reis was found hiding out in a Newark apartment by a New Jersey State Police fugitive unit after authorities in Massachusetts put out the alert he may have been in the Garden State.

Joseph Early Jr., the district attorney in Worcester, Massachusetts, said they were concerned Dos Reis was attempting to flee the country after allegedly attacking the unidentified man with a kitchen knife early Sunday morning in Milford.

Dos Reis, 44, is a native of Brazil. Early said the federal Department of Homeland Security informed law enforcement he is believed to be in the U.S. illegally. 

He was arrested "without incident" at an apartment on Vincent Street in Newark on Monday, New Jersey State Police said.

He was being held Tuesday at the Mercer County Jail pending extradition to Massachusetts on a charge of aggravated assault and battery with a dangerous weapon in Massachusetts, authorities said.

S.P. Sullivan may be reached at ssullivan@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

The New Jersey Attorney General is expected to announce the arrests of an Essex County doctor and 16 drug dealers who used his phony prescriptions to sell drugs 100 miles away.

NEWARK -- Authorities Wednesday plan to announce the arrests an Essex County doctor accused of supplying 16 members of Atlantic County drug ring with fraudulent prescriptions to get oxycodone pills.

The dealers are accused of buying the prescriptions from the doctor in Essex, and then selling the drugs more than 100 miles away. The ring trafficked tens of thousands of oxycodone pills, authorities said.

Attorney General Christopher Porrino announced he will host a press conference Wednesday afternoon to share the outcome of the "Operation Oxy Highway" investigation.

The investigation "targeted drug trafficking in one of the New Jersey counties hardest hit by the opiate epidemic," and a doctor who allegedly "callously cashed in" on it.

The press conference is set for 1 p.m. Wednesday in Newark.

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

A Maplewood man who stole $300,000 from desperate people trying to stay out of debt of hold onto their homes will be sentenced in Jersey City Friday for one of two Ponzi schemes he operated.

JERSEY CITY -- A Maplewood ex-con who stole $300,000 from desperate people trying to stay out of debt or hold onto their homes will be sentenced Friday for one of two Ponzi schemes he operated.

Germaine Theodore, 36, promised customers of TGC Movement in Maplewood and Save My Future in Jersey City big reductions in their monthly bills. Instead, he stole their money, according to the state Attorney General's Office, which prosecuted the case.

In January, Theodore pleaded guilty to theft in Hudson County Superior Court regarding to the scam involving Save My Future. Under the plea agreement, he was also required to plead guilty in Essex County Superior Court regarding the TGC Movement scam, officials said.

In the scam, Theodore told clients they could pay him 65 percent of their monthly bills upfront and his company would then pay the bills.

In some cases, Theodore gained their trust by legitimately paying for a month or two, but then he stopped paying altogether while still collecting from the clients. In other cases, he didn't pay a single bill for a client.

Theodore, who has served more then seven years in prison for offenses like passing bad checks, theft by deception, identity theft, sale of a false driver's license, forgery and weapons charges, faces a recommended four-year sentence on the Hudson County charges.

According to the plea deal, he faces seven years in Essex County, with the terms to be served concurrently.  

He must also pay restitution of approximately $250,000 to clients of TGC Movement and about $48,000 to clients of Save My Future, the two bogus businesses he created.

Theodore is slated to be sentenced by Hudson County Superior Court Judge Mitzy Galis-Menendez at 9 a.m. on Friday in the Hudson County Administration Building. 

Information on whether Theodore has yet pleaded guilty to the Essex County charges was not immediately available this morning.

Accused burglar had knife, police say.

NEWARK -- A 46-year-old Newark man was arrested for burglarizing a church in the city's South Ward Tuesday night, police said.

Rajahn W. McKinnon (Newark Dept. of Public Safety) 

Officers were called to a burglary in progress around 9:20 p.m. at the New Dawn Church, where they found two men holding a suspect, according to a police statement.

The accused burglar, Rajahn W. McKinnon, had unspecified property from the Peshine Avenue church and a knife when he was stopped, authorities said. 

McKinnon was charged with burglary and weapons offenses.

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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Man, 58, was attacked with an object, according to police.

NEWARK -- Authorities on Wednesday asked for the public's help to find a man they said is wanted on charges he attacked another man during an argument. 

Alex Battle, 36 (Photo: Newark Dept. of Public Safety) 

Alex Battle, 36, of Newark, was accused of aggravated assault in the July 5 incident, police said in a statement. Battle cut a 58-year-old man with an unidentified object in the 200 block of Alexander Street.

Officers found the injured man after they were called to an initial report of a sick and injured person on the street around 4:40 p.m., authorities said.

The victim was treated for his injuries and released from University Hospital, according to Public Safety Director Anthony Ambrose.

The public safety director added anyone with information to contact Newark's tip line at 1-877-NWK-TIPS (1-877-695-8477) or 1-877-NWK-GUNS (1-877-695-4867).

Tips can also be submitted using the police division's smartphone app and website. Police said anonymous tips would be kept confidential and could lead to a reward.

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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The 2017 municipal budget will increase taxes by $75 for the average assessed home of $175,203.

NEWARK -- The city will hire an additional 200 police officers, build a new homeless shelter and beef up code enforcement under its proposed 2017 municipal budget. 

The $665.8 million budget was introduced in City Council Wednesday morning and does not include any layoffs or cuts, Mayor Ras Baraka said.

That means, for an average assessed home of $175,203, the local portion of the tax bill is expected to increase by $75, city officials said. 

Baraka said this will be the last year the city prepares its budget under state supervision. The budget includes $8 million of transitional aid from the state, about $1 million less than last year. Baraka said city finances are healthy enough that it won't need to request such aid next year. 

"The city has completed the last two years under state supervision with a healthy surplus. We have been using the surplus to pay down the debts we inherited when we took office," he said. "We are whittling down a fifty-million-dollar deficit and a myriad of unpaid bills."

This year's budget is a 1.7 percent increase from last year's and includes several retroactive payments for employees and $2 million to pay the federal monitor overseeing the police department.

The monitor is overseeing departmental reforms after an investigation revealed civil rights abuses. The additional 200 police officers will start training Aug. 1, Baraka said. 

The budget also includes plans to erect a city-run homeless shelter at the closed Miller Street public school in partnership with Catholic Charities. The city has not run its own shelter in nearly a decade.

Baraka said the budget also includes a $3.3 million state grant to repave 15 streets, three in each ward, and purchase purchase 13 properties along the Passaic River to expand Riverfront Park. 

At least five additional code enforcement officers will be hired under the budget. North Ward Councilman Anibal Ramos said he'd like to see another 10 or 15 officers hired.

"We definitely heard from our residents that that is one of the biggest concerns on the community side," he said. The department currently has 12 code enforcement officers, down from 40 in 2010, Baraka said. 

The city will also ask the Newark school district to lower its budget to alleviate the burden on taxpayers. Business Administrator Jack Kelly said the district received $4.5 million additional dollars under the new state budget and officials would ask the district to use that money to offset higher taxes. 

The school district did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

Total taxes, including county and school, for the average taxpayer will increase by $210. Kelly said if the district adjusts its budget, the increase should be $177. 

The public will have an opportunity to weigh in on the budget in the coming weeks. 

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

The musical follows the adventures of junior detective Angie Jackson as she sings, dances and solves mysteries in Harlem from 1929 to 1935. Along the way, she meets many famous people, from Billie Holiday to Cab Calloway.

If you're going to dream, dream big.

That couldn't be more true right now for the girls and boys who will be performing off-Broadway on Sunday thanks to the Hudson County Spotlight Youth Theatre and Jersey City-based producer/playwright Vincent E. Kee.

Just ask 11-year-old Evonne Cody of Bayonne, one of three girls who'll play the title character in Kee's  "Angie Jackson ... The Musical'' at the Elektra Theater off Times Square on Sunday.

"I feel pretty good about performing in 'Angie Jackson,'" Evonne, a student at the Midtown Community School, told The Jersey Journal during a rehearsal last week at New Jersey City University. "What I'm really looking forward to from this is to be famous and be on TV." 

In all, 20 children will perform and participate in a red carpet experience on their way, perhaps someday, to stardom.

"The Hudson County Spotlight Youth Theatre has been doing incredible things for the kids in the community,'' Kee said. "The kids are just amazing with what they can do and the adults are professionals, too. We're one step closer to not being the best kept secret in the community."

The musical follows the adventures of junior detective Angie Jackson as she sings, dances and solves mysteries in Harlem from 1929 to 1935. Along the way, she meets many famous people, from Billie Holiday to Cab Calloway.

Kee wrote the story as a musical and later adapted it into "Angie Jackson Mysteries: The Case of the Mummy Thief,'' the first in what he envisions will be a series of short mystery novels. Nine more books are already being prepared.

Three actresses play Angie as the years pass, chronicling her life at ages 8, 11 and 14.

Layla Fearon of Union plays the youngest Angie, for the part of the story set in 1929.

"I'm very confident," the 9-year-old student at Livingston Elementary School said when asked about performing off-Broadway for the first time. "I really hope it'll turn out to be a good show, and I hope a lot of people will be there."

Eyvonne Cody, who portrays Angie at 11, brings some experience to the role. She's been a part of three productions  -- "The Wizard of Oz," "Seussical" and "Annie,'' all which were BHS Drama Society shows performed at Bayonne High School.

Miah Gourdine of Jersey City, who portrays Angie at 14, found her way into the show when her actor father brought her to rehearsals one day and was asked if his daughter sings.

"I said, 'YES, SHE DOES,'" said the elder Gourdine, who plays half of a couple hoping to adopt Angie. "It's all in the DNA, and it's great that she gets to be in the production."

Miah, who admitted to some butterflies, nonetheless feels confident about the experience.

"We're always learning how to get into the act more and feel the characters while we're acting," the 14-year-old Franklin R. Conwell School student said.

"Angie Jackson ... The Musical" has been produced around the country over the last seven years, including stops in Atlanta and Boyertown, Pennsylvania. Sunday's show, a fundraiser for several Hudson Spotlight Youth Theatre programs, will be its third off-Broadway production.

The cast includes actors ages 8 to 60 from Hudson, Union and Essex counties.

"It's going to be a great experience for the kids, especially since they're so young," Shalanda Lewis of Jersey City, who plays "the Caribbean lady who isn't really Caribbean'' Miss Bouvier, said. "A lot of kids don't get the opportunity to perform in front of large crowds, especially off-Broadway. I don't think they'll understand how special it is until they do it."

And Sunday isn't all they have to look forward to.

After this, the cast and crew will be off to Orlando, Florida, during Thanksgiving week as the show has been given the opportunity to put on a half-hour demonstration at Disney World, a way for Disney to preview the musical.

"We're trying to help the community and we're trying to help the kids,'' Adolph Mayo, a partner with Kee Multi-Media said. "It's all about the kids. We have a summer program for Grades K through 8 and we're teaching kids how to use the production studio. We eventually want to start moving them around to other studios and even radio stations. It's about giving kids structure."

If you go ...

The Red Carpet Sneak Preview for "Angie Jackson ... The Musical'' begins at 5 p.m. Sunday with refreshments available from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. before the show begins at 7 p.m. at Elektra Theater, 300 W. 43rd St., New York, inside the Times Square Art Center. For information, go to angiejacksonthemusical.com.

"Dr. G" prescribed 50,000 pills to people who sold them on the street, authorities claim.

NEWARK -- Patients would travel long distances to see "Dr. G," driving more than 100 miles up the Garden State Parkway to his medical practice in Belleville, authorities claim.

He allegedly made it worth the trip, writing painkiller prescriptions two to five at a time and renewing them every month. In 2016 alone, according to New Jersey's attorney general, Craig Gialanella wrote 413 prescriptions for approximately 50,000 pills in the names of 30 people from Atlantic County.

Gialanella, 53, was arrested this week on drug distribution charges along with 16 others after a state investigation dubbed Operation Oxy Highway determined they had created an oxycodone pipeline down the parkway.

His arrest comes as authorities in New Jersey grapple with a spiraling overdose death rate fueled in large part by the illicit trade in prescription drugs. State officials say eight out of 10 heroin addicts in the Garden State started out as opioid prescription patients.

"Doctors who hand out illegal prescriptions for addictive opioid painkillers are no better than street corner drug dealers," state Attorney General Christopher Porrino said at a Wednesday press conference announcing the arrests.

Reached by phone, Gialanella, who was released pending court proceedings, said he had "no comment" before hanging up on a reporter. His attorney could not be reached.

Authorities claim the North Caldwell resident conspired with a family of drug dealers from Egg Harbor Township to distribute the opioid painkiller and other prescription drugs in southern New Jersey for as much as $25 a pill.

Mary Connolly, 54, was charged with conspiracy and drug distribution along with her ex-husband Douglas Patterson, 53, and daughter Lauren Connolly, 28, for allegedly running the Atlantic County drug ring.

The three could not immediately be reached and it was unclear Wednesday whether they had retained attorneys.

According to the attorney general, the trio enlisted the help of 13 others, including Mary Connolly's son, 31-year-old Robert Connolly, who face lesser charges for their alleged roles in the enterprise.

Also charged were:

* Danielle Grainger, 33, of Linwood
* William Warren, 51, of Egg Harbor Township
* Francis Clemson, 53, of Ocean View
* Ashton Funk, 35, of Northfield
* Theodore Gogol, 37, of Margate
* Beatriz Oquendo, 34, of Pleasantville
* Amanda Blomdahl, 37, of Somers Point
* Kevin Reid, 47, of Ventnor
* David Blocker, 49, of Galloway
* Joseph Green, 39, of Atlantic City
* Christopher Perez, 34, of Mays Landing
* John Hager, 39, of Deptford

These N.J. counties are flooded with opioid prescriptions

Many of the accused were themselves addicts, Porrino said, and at least one of the defendants overdosed during the course of their investigation and had to be saved by first responders using Narcan.

Porrino's office on Wednesday also released new drug overdose figures showing overdoses were up 41 percent in the first six months of 2016 from the same period the previous year.

The attorney general said the Atlantic County pill pipeline was uncovered by a local pharmacist who noticed Patterson and other customers were using Gialanella, a general practitioner from the other end of the state, for a large number of painkiller prescriptions.

The pharmacist looked closer and found Patterson himself was using multiple dates of birth to avoid being flagged in the state's Prescription Monitoring Program, an oversight tool meant to uncover overprescription, authorities claim.

State authorities began investigating the doctor and his far-flung patients, determining that Patterson had introduced Mary Connolly and other defendants to Gialanella, who provided them with oxycodone and alprazolam, more commonly known as Xanax.

Authorities allege Gialanella would charge the patients $50 to $100 per visit, which would last only a few minutes, and send them off with multiple prescriptions for as many as 180 pills at a time. Patterson would receive a share of the prescription for arranging the deal, they claim.

Following Gialanella's arrest, authorities seized his medical records to look for further evidence of abuse, Porrino said. 

"I can tell you the investigation is ongoing and we suspect this doctor may have prescribed illegally to other individuals in other counties," he told reporters. 

Gialanella is the sixth New Jersey doctor to face criminal charges from the state over the last three years, according to Elie Honig, the head of the office's Division of Criminal Justice. 

Porrino said his office was not engaging in a "war on doctors," but would aggressively pursue "drug dealers in white coats." 

The office recently added a new section on the Division of Consumer Affairs website, njconsumeraffairs.gov, where pharmacists can confidentially report prescription drug abuse. 

S.P. Sullivan may be reached at ssullivan@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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A plan to ensure developers provide affordable housing is being revamped after confusion arose at a city council meeting this month.

NEWARK -- The city's push to create low- and moderate-income homes amid Newark's building boom hit another snag Wednesday -- forcing city officials to once again submit a new plan. 

For months, Mayor Ras Baraka has pitched an inclusionary zoning ordinance, which would mandate residential developers to provide at least 20 percent affordable units or to contribute money to help build those affordable units elsewhere. But the measure has stalled and stopped over concerns from City Council members and calls to strengthen the requirements by housing activists.

Last week, a vote to adopt the ordinance failed after a council member said he received a different version of the law and would not vote on legislation that was pushed through last minute. 

The council voted to table the ordinance but then rescinded the move and agreed to defer it after Baraka urged the council to reconsider. 

On Wednesday, Baraka said he was told by the City Clerk's Office that the council's maneuver was "not appropriate" because Central Ward Councilwoman Gayle Chaneyfield-Jenkins, who made the motion to table the ordinance, did not make the motion to un-table it as required by statute. 

Chaneyfield-Jenkins was not at Wednesday's meeting. 

The measure passed on first reading in June after months of wrangling between housing advocates, developers and political leaders over how to balance development with affordability. 

"We're going to reissue another one and try to get it done faster," Baraka said, adding that his administration would submit a new proposal for next month's council meeting. "We want to expedite this," he said.

North Ward Councilman Anibal Ramos said he was concerned the law could squeeze smaller developers who are trying to rehabilitate eyesores in the city.

"We're in a position where we could potentially have small- and medium-sized developers muscled out of the development process," he said, suggesting the city find a way to guard against negatively impacting smaller developers.

Baraka said the new proposal will address those concerns and proposed changes from the council. The next council meeting is Aug. 2. 

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

The 32-year-old man was charged Wednesday with robbery in the July 7 incident

Quamel T. HatcherNPD 

NEWARK -- Authorities say a 32-year-old Newark man was arrested Wednesday after he robbed his victim on a date they had arranged online.

Officers responded to the victim's apartment in the city's South Ward at 7:30 a.m., on July 7, Newark Public Safety Director Anthony F. Ambrose said in announcement.

Ambrose said the victim told the officers that "personal property was forcibly stolen following a date with a suspect the victim had met online."

A department spokesman, Capt. Derek Glenn, said cash and personal effects were taken in the robbery.

Detectives working the case eventually traced the robbery to Quamel T. Hatcher of Newark, who was arrested Wednesday without incident and charged with robbery, Ambrose said.

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

NEWARK -- A Newark man was arrested and charged in two back-to-back robberies that occurred Wednesday morning, police said. The first happened around 8 a.m. in the 800 block of S. 17th Street, when a man was robbed by another man. A half-hour later, an officer canvassing the neighborhood in search of that suspect was flagged down by residents...

NEWARK -- A Newark man was arrested and charged in two back-to-back robberies that occurred Wednesday morning, police said.

The first happened around 8 a.m. in the 800 block of S. 17th Street, when a man was robbed by another man.

A half-hour later, an officer canvassing the neighborhood in search of that suspect was flagged down by residents who said a store on S. 16th Street was being held up. The officer entered the store and ordered Marvin basker, 42, to drop an item in a paper bag he was pointing at the store's owner. The item was not a weapon, police said.

Basker was taken into custody and charged with criminal restraint, simple assault and terroristic threats. He was also linked to the earlier robbery and charged with that crime.

Going to the movies was an important part of life back in the day.

In the 1930s and '40s, the movie theater was an integral part of people's lives.

Certainly, radio was at its height of popularity, but if people wanted to see things, they went to the movies. And, it wasn't just the first-run features they saw. Theatergoers were more than entertained, they were informed.

Newsreels, which were shown prior to feature presentations, allowed people to see current events. The reality of war, tragedies such as the explosion of the Hindenburg and even medical advancements were shown on screen in theaters.

MORE: Vintage photos around New Jersey

In these early days of the big screen, theaters were owned by motion picture companies. So, while Paramount's latest release would be showing at one theater, RKO's latest would be at another. Patrons were enticed with double features, cartoons, educational short subjects and even giveaways like table settings, silverware and glassware.

The price was right too; the average movie ticket price in the 1930s was a quarter; adjusted for inflation, that's only $4.50 today.

Here's a gallery of vintage movie theaters from around New Jersey. If your favorite isn't in this gallery ... here are the links to galleries we've done in the past - you'll almost certainly find them in there.

Vintage photos of movie theaters in NJ

Vintage photos of classic movie theaters in N.J.

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

A group of activists shut down Broad and Market streets on Wednesday to rally against the spate of violence that continues plaguing the city.

NEWARK -- A gray casket lay open in the middle of the normally bustling intersection of Broad and Market streets.

There were no passing cars or sounds of honking. Instead, activists and residents filled the empty streets to demand an end to the violence plaguing the state's largest city. Too many lives have been lost, they said, as a circle formed around the casket.

"I'm tired as hell of the violence," said Bashir Akinyele, a history teacher at Weequahic High School and co-founder of the Newark Anti-Violence Coalition which organized the rally. "All forms of violence. It needs to stop. It must end."

For a few hours on Wednesday, the anti-violence coalition shut down parts of Broad and Market streets to bring attention -- and find solutions -- to the gun violence and domestic violence gripping the streets. 

"This is my hometown, I have family members that have been victims of the streets," said Yaanu Amani Bey Shakur, 46, a member of the New Black Panther Party in Newark. Shakur said he was robbed and shot when he was 17 years old.

"We're trying to send a message to the youth to stop the senseless killings," he said. "Kids feel no one cares about them, they turn to the streets because the streets is like their parents." 

This year 33 people have been killed in Newark, according to police records. There were at least 50 slayings during the same period last year.

Deshawn H. Beeks, 22, was the latest fatality. He died early Tuesday after he was shot in city's North Ward, officials said.

A 6-year-old boy was also shot earlier this month near Central Avenue and Third Street. He survived. 

"That baby took a bullet in the stomach because you made that choice to pull that trigger," Samad Danazy, a member of the anti-violence coalition told the crowd. "Accept full responsibility. Stop running. Stop hiding and turn yourself in."

Danazy urged the community to be "outraged" and "fed up." "We're doing it to ourselves," he said.

People began gathering at the intersection around 6 p.m. chanting: "Stop the violence! Stop the killings!"

A group of young men led by Earl "Street Doctor" Best, a local organizer, joined the crowd after a two-mile run chanting "Believe in yourself." Best said the young men are part of program for at-risk youth run by the groups Hope, Love and Kindness and Believe in Yourself that provides job training, recreation and education for the city's youth. 

"If you believe in yourself you can be successful," said Elhajj Sall, 18. "If it weren't for all of the violence, Newark would be one of the best cities." 

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

Watch Buki Elegbede make whoopee pies in a 2-minute video that won him a Create TV online cooking show. Watch video

NEWARK -- His kitchen may be small, but his recipes pack a lot of punch.

In the debut episode of his online cooking series, Buki Elegbede's sweet and sloppy whoopee pies not only look delicious, his recipe also seems pretty accessible.

That's because Elegbede, who works in television production and owns a small catering company, hosts the show from the small kitchen in his Newark apartment.

Contest winner Buki Elegbede. (Courtesy Create TV)
 

"My dream (is) to inspire young people to take culinary chances," Elegbede said.

He took a chance earlier this year, entering the Create TV Cooking Challenge, an online competition run by public television's Create network.

Elegbede beat hundreds of other entrants to nab the contest's top prize, the network recently announced -- $4,000 in cash and $1,000 worth of production equipment to film 10 more episodes of his show, which will air soon on CreateTV.com.

Elegbede said he started watching cooking shows while in bed after a back surgery during high school, and got hooked.

When he heard about the network's second annual competition, "I immediately starting running through my repertoire of recipes."

His entry mirrored the specific requirements of the contest's judges - a panel of the channel's most popular TV chefs: a good recipe that the host could get across in just two short minutes.

"I love Buki's energy, smile, and of course, the final taste," judge Lidia Bastianich, host of "Lidia's Kitchen," said in a statement about the winner.

"He cooks with confidence and passion. That's what it's all about."

Elegbede said he hopes the online series will lead to something even bigger.

"I'd love to have a food/talk show where I'm interviewing guests and talking with them as we make a quinoa salad," he said.  

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

The victim was on a bed in a cab of a tractor-trailer

A New Jersey woman has been charged with shooting another woman in the arm with a BB gun inside a tractor-trailer parked at a truck stop in Western Pennsylvania on Tuesday, according to a report.

Shalaia MartinPa. State Police

Shalaia Martin, 29, of Irvington, allegedly fired one shot while the woman was on a bed inside the cab, the report said.

The shooting took place around 3:30 p.m. at the Pilot Travel Center off Interstate 70 in Bentleyville, a suburb of Pittsburgh.

The victim was treated and released from a local hospital.

Martin was charged with aggravated assault, simple assault and reckless endangerment, observer-reporter.com said. Held on $250,000 bond, she is due in court in July 31. 

A motive for the shooting was not disclosed.