Man faces nearly four years in prison.

NEWARK -- A man was sentenced in Newark federal court Thursday to nearly four years in prison for robbing a Belleville bank, where he threatened a teller and claimed to have a gun.

Donald Myer, of Newark, previously admitted he passed a note demanding money and threatened to use a gun in the April 2, 2016 robbery of a Valley National Bank branch, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Myer pleaded guilty to a bank robbery charge in March.

Myer stole about $1,000 in the robbery, federal authorities previously said. He was also ordered to pay the same amount in restitution.

In a statement, Acting U.S. Attorney William E. Fitzpatrick said special agents with the FBI's Newark office, Belleville, Kearny and Port Authority police worked on the case.

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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MILLBURN -- Fleur is an 8-week-old kitten in the care of the Homeless Animal Rescue Team. Turned in by a family that couldn't afford to take care of her, volunteers say she is "extremely calm, sweet and gets along well with other cats." Fleur is FIV/FeLV negative and up-to-date on shots. H.A.R.T. will hold an adoption event with Fleur and...

Fleur 

MILLBURN -- Fleur is an 8-week-old kitten in the care of the Homeless Animal Rescue Team.

Turned in by a family that couldn't afford to take care of her, volunteers say she is "extremely calm, sweet and gets along well with other cats." Fleur is FIV/FeLV negative and up-to-date on shots.

H.A.R.T. will hold an adoption event with Fleur and other felines today and Saturday, Aug. 5, from 2 to 5 p.m. at the Pet Adoption Center, 187 Millburn Ave.

H.A.R.T. is in need of volunteers, age 18 and older, to help clean cages and feed cats at its adoption center. For information on adopting or volunteering, call 908-337-0477 or go to awos.petfinder.com/shelters/NJ384.html.

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.

The state-controlled Newark school district is on its way to regaining control of its schools. But what does that mean and what will it look like?

NEWARK -- It's been more than 20 years since the state took the reins of Newark's public school system, choosing its succession of superintendents and making decisions on staffing, instruction and budgeting. 

But next school year, the School Advisory Board is expected to shed its enfeebling title and become a fully-functioning board with the power to hire and fire its own chief of schools -- governance of Newark's 65 public schools will finally return to local control. 

"This is a heavy responsibility," School Advisory Board Chair Marques-Aquil Lewis told NJ Advance Media. "This board has not been taking this lightly at all, we have been training to prepare ourselves for local control ... The public needs to understand that at the end it's not just about the board members, we're going to need the pubic to be our partners."

For residents, the shift in power means they'll have more of a direct say in who heads the schools and how the Newark School Board is structured. The district must hold a referendum to let the public vote on whether they want an elected board or one appointed by the mayor. 

The board, which will no longer be advisory, will then have the power to pick a superintendent, who is in charge of the day-to-day management of the schools. Since 1995, the state has appointed the district's superintendent who has veto power over decisions by the board.  

Schools Superintendent Christopher Cerf said state oversight of Newark schools will continue -- like it does in every other New Jersey school district -- even after local control is returned. 

"The state constitution imposes on the state the obligation to create a thorough and efficient system of schools. That constitutional duty belongs to the state," he said. "Traditionally the state delegates to local school boards that authority but it's always subject to state oversight and when state control happens is because the state goes, 'Hey, we asked you to run this school district in a financially responsible way and you're not doing it.'"

If the district passes a state review conducted earlier this year, the New Jersey State Board of Education is expected to vote to return local control in the fall, Cerf said. At that point the state Education Commissioner and the district will create a transition plan that will likely detail the process for finding a superintendent. 

Cerf, who was appointed by the state to his role in 2015, said he remains focused on a smooth transition to local control and said his personal plans were unformed. 

"We are doing everything we can to get to full local control and all indicators point to this process being on track to happen in the upcoming school year," he said. 

Cerf's $255,500 three-year contract expires June 30, 2018 but allows for modifications should local control be returned. The transition plan could outline whether an interim superintendent is named or Cerf remains at the helm while a new leader is chosen. 

"This is not about power or control," Cerf said. "I hope will continue to be about serving the best interest of the children of Newark so that we adequately prepare every single one of them for success in life."

The Quality Single Accountability System (QSAC), which is the state's way of monitoring schools, gives the state the power to take over a district. It measures a district's performance in five areas, three of which have already been returned to local control.

This May, the state reviewed the areas of governance (which allows the board to hire a superintendent) and instruction and program. The results of that review will be released later this summer, district officials estimate. 

The state board will move to accept the scores, and if they are high enough to meet the 80 percent threshold, the state Education Commissioner will recommend the state board formally vote to return local control to the district -- a complicated transition that will take months to complete.

"This is not like hitting a light switch where there's one moment when there's no local control," Cerf said. "It is a statutorily set process that has a number milestones and checkpoints."

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

NUTLEY -- On a hot day in Nutley in 1977, Denise Murtaugh, left, and Warren Jones attempted to fry an egg on concrete. MORE: Vintage photos around New Jersey 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...

NUTLEY -- On a hot day in Nutley in 1977, Denise Murtaugh, left, and Warren Jones attempted to fry an egg on concrete.

MORE: Vintage photos around New Jersey

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.

Newark community leaders: While we appreciate the decision by several recent developers to voluntarily include affordable units, we need to establish a level of certainty.

By Newark community and business leaders

We represent some of the core neighborhood-based Community Development Corporations (CDCs) in Newark, all of whom have existed for 45-plus years and longer.

We work daily on the front lines trying to address Newark resident needs from workforce training and readiness, health care, education and child care and housing. Some of us have been developers of housing for low and moderate income residents and all of us have been consistent advocates for the need for more housing for low, moderate, workforce -- and yes, even market-rate housing. We know we must grow our city for it to move forward for everyone.

As leaders committed to the creation of more housing that Newark residents can afford, we disagree with the campaign being waged by Central Ward Councilwoman Gayle Chaneyfield Jenkins against the proposed Inclusionary Zoning Ordinance (IZO).

Progress must be guided by principles of equity and justice in development for Newark. It is critical to ensure that the surge in development and investment benefits current residents of all incomes. But this is not a zero-sum proposition. We also are cognizant of the need to welcome new residents to Newark through thoughtful, comprehensive and coherent planning and policies.

We believe market-rate housing development is good and should result in fair-share benefits for current residents -- which is the point of the IZO.

This is why for the past year we have worked with the Baraka administration in crafting an IZO that followed best practices as established by IZO's developed over the past 40 years throughout the country in over 500 municipalities.

The core of Chaneyfield Jenkins' position is one put forth frequently by developers: that IZO's will "derail many residential housing projects", it will "disincentivize developers from building in the city"; it will "impede our progress."

These are in fact issues and concerns that some developers have raised since IZO's began in the '70s. But the research over the years overwhelmingly shows that IZOs do NOT stifle or stop development. We conducted extensive research from a wide variety of academic institutions and policy centers which show the benefits of IZO's across the country.

Closer to home, Alan Mallach, New Jersey's own nationally recognized expert on affordable housing and economic development, notes that inclusionary housing programs have created what we would consider to be a significant amount of housing - although nothing meeting the need.

A California survey estimated that roughly 30,000 affordable units were created in that state between 1999 and 2007. Since programs have been continuing in California since the 1970s, the total may be double that. Another 15,000-20,000 have been built in New Jersey since the Mt. Laurel decision, and another 15,000 or more in the DC area. A reasonable estimate for total IZO production nationally would probably be in the area of 100,000 affordable units.

The IZO is not a tax and does not apply to all projects.

The original IZO only applied to projects over 30 units and which required a tax abatement, variance, density increase, etc. from the city. It seems only fair that if a developer needs something from Newark residents through the city then they should give something reasonable in return such as access to affordable housing for residents. And the proposed IZO will embed in law the principles and policies for this fair share equation.

And while we appreciate the decision by several recent developers to voluntarily include affordable units in their projects we also know that through the IZO we can establish legally a level of certainty and consistency in the development process which will benefit all moving forward. And it should be noted that IZO's historically have been dynamic, they can be amended and adjusted as the need arises.

Through the IZO and other complementary policies, Newark is aiming to avoid the failures of places like Hoboken, Jersey City, Harlem, etc. where far too many long-term residents were either displaced or priced out of their own home city.

And finally we fully realize that the IZO is not some cure all for the need for increasing housing opportunity for low, moderate, workforce and market-rate units.  It is but one of the important tools in a broad strategy needed to improve the quality of life in Newark in terms of housing.

Submitted by:

Richard Cammarieri, chair of the Newark Community Development Network

Joe Della Fave, executive director of the Ironbound Community Corporation

Ray Ocasio, executive director of La Casa de Don Pedro

Rhonda Lewis, executive director of Local Initiatives Support Corp. of Greater Newark

Deborah Smith-Gregory, president of the NAACP - Newark Branch

Rich Rohrman, CEO of New Community Corporation

Vivina Cox Fraser, president and CEO of the Urban League of Essex County

Veronica Manning, executive director of Unified Vailsburg Services Organization

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NJ Transit officials added more buses and discontinued others offered while Morris & Essex trains are diverted to Hoboken during Amtrak summer track work.

Commuters who normally ride Morris & Essex lines trains to New York will have more NJ Transit bus options starting next week while rail service is diverted to Hoboken during Amtrak's summer Penn Station track work project.

New weekday morning-only express bus service to the Port Authority Bus Terminal will start on Aug. 3 from the Morristown and Madison train stations. Buses run every 30 minutes from 7 to 9 a.m., officials said.

NJ Transit Executive Director Steven Santoro told state lawmakers at a hearing last week that bus service changes were coming to reflect commuter demand. Mayors of towns on the M&E had lobbied for extra bus service to ease the burden on commuters. 

Two more morning express buses will be added from Maplewood and Summit trains stations starting on Aug. 3. Buses depart at 6:45, 7:00, 7:20, 7:40, 8:00, 8:30 and 9 a.m. Those buses join service started by several private bus companies from selected M&E line stations.

Other extra bus service will be discontinued due to low ridership. They include the 6 a.m. bus from South Orange and the 6, 9:30 and 10 a.m. trips from Newark Broad Street starting Aug. 3.

Larry Higgs may be reached at lhiggs@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @commutinglarry. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Authorities said the Livingston man was sentenced in the 2015 killing.

Harold Christianson, Jr. (Courtesy Essex County Prosecutor's Office)
 

NEWARK -- A Livingston man was sentenced Friday to 23 years in state prison after admitting to killing his landlord, a spokeswoman for the Essex County Prosecutor's Office confirmed.

Harold Christianson Jr., 33, pleaded guilty to aggravated manslaughter and forgery in the March 2015 death of Douglas Castellano, who was found dead in his Carteret Road home, spokeswoman Katherine Carter said.

Authorities said Christianson had been stealing checks from the 69-year-old Castellano. When the landlord questioned the man about it, Christianson bludgeoned him to death, according to the assistant prosecutor who tried the case, Justin Edwab.

Prosecutors did not immediately answer questions about what object Christianson used in the attack.

Christianson must serve 85 percent of his 23-year sentence before being eligible for parole, and pay $14,200 in restitution, Carter said.

Authorities at the time of the killing said Christianson was a boarder in Castellano's home.

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

Case stemmed from a 2015 robbery.

NEWARK -- A reputed gang member from Bloomfield admitted that he used social media to sell guns and recruit for a street gang, prosecutors said Friday.

Bomani Duncan (Photo: ECPO) 

Bomani Duncan, 20, is expected to be sentenced to 10 years in state prison after he pleaded guilty this week to weapons offenses in Essex County Superior Court as part of a plea agreement with prosecutors., according to officials.

Two co-defendants from East Orange -- Taquan Williams, 22, and Yasin Shabazz, 20 -- also pleaded guilty in the case, which prosecutors said stemmed from a March 17, 2015 robbery.

Duncan arranged via Twitter to meet a victim at an East Orange parking lot, where he robbed her of $200, according to prosecutors. Police arrested Duncan the same night and seized a silver .38 revolver and an imitation gun from him.

Duncan admitted that he used Twitter to try to sell a firearm to Shabazz and attempted to recruit him to join the Ella Street Gang, the prosecutor's office said. In his car, authorities recovered a gun that also appeared in a photo posted a short time after the earlier robbery.

Essex County Assistant Prosecutor Joseph A. Giordano, who handled the case, said Duncan must serve five years in prison before he would be eligible for parole.

"The Internet is not a magical place where the law does not apply," Giordano added in a statement. "This case clearly shows that old laws still apply in the digital world. The Essex County Prosecutor's Office will prosecute those who violate the law whether it be in the streets, online, or both."

Duncan also admitted to having a gun in his Mercedes Sept. 30, 2015 while he was free on bail from the initial weapons charges, prosecutors said.

Shabazz pleaded guilty to attempting to buy an illegal firearm, according to the prosecutor's office. He admitted to using a Twitter account to try to purchase a weapon from Duncan.

Williams admitted to charges including theft and an unrelated burglary. Prosecutors recommended he serve a five year prison term.

The three men are scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 11.

An Essex County grand jury indicted the trio in October 2015 on a range of gang-related offenses. Authorities previously alleged the gun-trafficking scheme was linked to the G-Shine set of the Bloods street gang.

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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Events are also being held in Newark and Camden.

TRENTON -- They arrived in metal gun boxes, rifles bags and socks. 

One woman approached the check-in line in front of Friendship Baptist Church on Perry Street without anything in her hands. Then she pulled a small pistol from her bra.

Authorities doled out cash payments for residents wishing to hand over firearms Friday morning on the first day of a three-city, two-day gun buyback. Events were also being held in Newark and Camden.

It opened at 8 a.m. and by 10:30 a.m., officers cataloged 400 firearms, Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo Onofri said.

The 'no questions asked, no identification needed" events hope to bring in unwanted weapons in the name of gun safety.

The events, coordinated by the state Attorney General's Office, uses forfeiture funds, and pays $100 per rifle, $120 for handguns and $200 for an assault weapon.

Pellet guns, airsoft guns, BB guns and inoperable firearms are also being accepted for $20 each. Residents can hand over three weapons at an event.

New Jersey's 3 gun buybacks: What you need to know

Criticisms of such buybacks are that most of the guns turned in are done so by law-abiding people clearing out their homes of old long guns they no longer use or want - which gave rise to the term "attic guns."

Authorities know that criticism, Trenton Police Director Ernest Parrey Jr. said. Mirroring comments by state authorities, he said if just one weapon surrendered saves a life, "That's a good thing."

Trenton Mayor Eric Jackson was surprised at how many rifles and shotguns were boxed up. "I thought there'd be more handguns," he said.

Final tallies will be made public  next week, but rifles and shotguns appeared to outnumber handguns in Trenton Friday morning.

The officers collecting the weapons took in some very old guns too, like flintlocks, and other classic, curved-wood pistols.

The buybacks will take place until 8 p.m. tonight, then Saturday again from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the following locations:

• Greater Abyssinian Baptist Church, 88 Lyons Avenue, Newark
• Friendship Baptist Church, 111 Perry Street, Trenton
• Antioch Baptist Church, at 700 Ferry Avenue, Camden

More information is available at the Attorney General's Office buyback website.

Kevin Shea may be reached at kshea@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter@kevintshea. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Man charged with burglary, weapons offense.

NEWARK -- A 24-year-old Newark man was arrested and hospitalized after he cut himself while breaking into a residence in the city's West Ward, police said Friday.

Harry Hampton, Jr. (Photo: Newark Dept. of Public Safety) 

Harry D. Hampton, Jr., was charged with burglary, weapons offenses, receiving stolen property and criminal mischief, city Public Safety Director Anthony Ambrose announced in a statement.

Police were called to a burglary around 3:25 a.m. Thursday at a Lenox Street residence, where an intruder broke in by using an object to smash a window, authorities said. A resident "confronted" Hampton, who fled the home.

Officers found Hampton in a nearby building bleeding from an injuries he suffered when he broke the window, according to Ambrose. Hampton was also charged with having a loaded, stolen .25 caliber handgun that was recovered from the burglary scene.

Records show Hampton remained in custody Friday.

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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City and state officials welcomed 200 Newark police recruits during a ceremony on Friday at the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart.

NEWARK -- They sat in rigid rows inside the hallowed halls of the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart, hopeful this moment would mark the beginning of their journey toward joining the men and women of the Newark Police Department. 

On Friday, 200 of the police department's newest recruits were welcomed by top brass from the city and state -- reminded of their crucial roles in New Jersey's largest city.

"This group of police recruits, the largest in the past 10 years, will receive advanced training in protecting residents and will become an integral part of the communities they serve," Mayor Ras Baraka said in a statement. "They will grow to understand that their job is to treat residents the way they would treat members of their own families."

The city has been relentlessly trying to beef up its police force after layoffs in 2010 slashed the ranks by more than 160 officers. 

"I am delighted that we are steadily replenishing our numbers following the layoffs and attrition that occurred in the police department since 2010," Public Safety Director Anthony Ambrose said. "The hiring of new police officers is part of our strategic plan to strengthen the division and to make Newark safer."

City officials reported a 13 percent reduction in overall crime last year compared to the year prior and a 10 percent decrease in violence over the same time period. At its peak, the department numbered 1,700, officials said. Newark currently boats 1,049 officers. 

The recruits will be trained for 26 weeks by the New Jersey State Police at its training academy in Sea Girt. Training begins Aug. 7 and those who pass will graduate in December. 

"It will not be a day at the beach, it's going to be hard, it's going to be difficult," New Jersey Attorney General Christopher S. Porrino told the recruits, who were dressed in black suit jackets and blazers. "You must keep your eyes on the goal and the goal is to get through so you can join one of the most elite police forces in the country."

The group hails from Newark and includes 65 women, officials said.

"The recruits will participate in extensive training focused on urban policing, domestic violence situations, and cultural diversity," Colonel Rick Fuentes, Superintendent of the New Jersey State Police said in a statement after the ceremony. "The investigative techniques and tactics they will learn will remain with them throughout their careers."

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

No arrests after slaying.

NEWARK -- A 35-year-old man died after he was found shot in Newark's South Ward early Friday, officials said.

City police responded to reports of gunfire around 3:30 a.m. in the 700 block of South 19th Street, where they found a man suffering from gunshot wounds lying near the curb, according to Essex County Chief Assistant Prosecutor Thomas Fennelly.

Emergency crews rushed the victim, identified as Donald Travis, to University Hospital, Fennelly said. Travis was pronounced dead shortly before 5 a.m.

The slaying was under investigation by the prosecutor's office Major Crimes Task Force, which includes Newark police detectives, Fennelly added.

There were no immediate arrests reported.

Anyone with information was asked to call the county prosecutor's office tipline at 877-847-7432.

Newark has logged at least 36 murders this year compared to more than 50 killings in the same span last year.

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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Maplewood police say 6 officers have been disciplined as an investigation continues.

MAPLEWOOD -- Six township police officers have been disciplined after an incident at a July 4th celebration last year that is still under investigation.

In a statement released Friday afternoon, Maplewood Police Captain Dawn Williams said one officer was suspended for 20 days after the July 5, 2016 incident, and another five "received formal discipline."

Declining to elaborate beyond a prepared statement, Williams said all of the officers violated department rules and regulations. The suspended officer also violated the PD's use of force policy, she said.

All officers were also "given additional training to help prevent a recurrence of the violations," she said.

Intrigue has been swirling in the township over the police department's response to a large youth gathering and fight that broke out at the town's fireworks celebration last year. Four juveniles were arrested after police said fights broke out as groups of people were leaving Memorial Park.

Residents lodged complaints about the incident -- accusing the police of racially profiling the black youths allegedly involved in the fights, and trying to move the crowd into nearby Irvington. Complaints lodged also said the police wrongfully used pepper spray to subdue the crowd.

The Essex County Prosecutor's Office investigated the allegations last year, but returned the investigation to the Maplewood Police Department, citing insufficient evidence, town officials said in April.

Maplewood police said Friday its investigation, which started in April, is still ongoing. Williams declined to answer any other questions.

Amidst building speculation by residents, the township council last month ordered video and audio recordings of the incident be released, despite the continuing investigation. NJ Advance Media anticipates receiving the released clips late Friday.

Noting that the council was "frustrated" by the length of the prosecutor's office investigation, Maplewood Mayor Vic DeLuca said the governing body "felt the release of the audio and video tapes could wait no longer, even though the Maplewood Police have not closed the internal investigation."

In response to the ongoing probe and release of some audio clips Friday, the South Orange-Maplewood Black Parents Workshop community group issued a call for state oversight of the police department, and the firing of its chief.

"Black children were pushed toward the Irvington border with the plan of sealing them out of their own town," the group said in a statement. "(The) teens were not unruly...but were still corralled and pushed out of the city by our police."

The group called for a resident rally at a town council meeting next week.

When asked whether or not he has confidence in the police chief, Deluca said, "this is a future discussion topic."

Chief Robert Cimino declined to comment. The names of the people arrested in the initial incident were not released because they are juveniles.

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

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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NEWARK -- Police are looking for a man wanted in connection with a robbery in the Ironbound July 18.  The robbery occurred around 4:45 a.m. at Ferry and Alyea streets. The suspect approached the victim from behind and brandished a gun, police said. The robber then fled with another man in a white, four-door BMW with a black roof and New...

NEWARK -- Police are looking for a man wanted in connection with a robbery in the Ironbound July 18. 

Police say this man committed a robbery in Newark July 18 and are asking the public's help locating him. (Newark police)  

The robbery occurred around 4:45 a.m. at Ferry and Alyea streets. The suspect approached the victim from behind and brandished a gun, police said. The robber then fled with another man in a white, four-door BMW with a black roof and New York license plates. 

The suspect is black, between five-feet-seven and five-feet-nine inches tall, with a stocky build and a beard. He was wearing a white hooded sweater, white jean shorts and black sneakers. 

Anyone with information is being asked to call the police department's 24-hour Crime Stopper tip line at 1-877- NWK-TIPS (1-877- 695-8477) or 1-877- NWK-GUNS (1-877- 695-4867).  All anonymous Crime Stopper tips are kept confidential and could result in a reward. 

Woman attacked in her city home, police said.

NEWARK -- A Newark man wanted for attempted murder in the assault and robbery of an 85-year-old woman at her home in the city's South Ward was arrested, officials said Friday.

Bruce Hay (Photo: Essex County jail) 

Bruce Hay, 49, was taken into custody without incident by city police and members of the U.S. Marshals Service Regional Fugitive Task Force, Public Safety Director Anthony Ambrose announced.

Hay is accused of assaulting the woman, who police said he knew, July 19 at her residence in the 200 block of Keer Avenue.

Police were called to a robbery at the home around 10:15 p.m. and discovered the assailant had taken cash and unspecified property from the woman, Ambrose said. The woman was being treated at University Hospital. Authorities did not specify how Hay allegedly attacked the resident.

Authorities also charged Hay with robbery, burglary and receiving stolen property.

More details were not immediately available Friday.

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 state's largest housing authority is giving all its employees raises months after it declared mandatory furloughs amid a budget crunch.

NEWARK -- In an about-face, the Newark Housing Authority has agreed to give every employee a salary increase and reverse forced furlough days announced three months ago as a necessary step to cut costs. 

The Board of Commissioners on Thursday approved up to $1.7 million in retroactive raises to five unions and all non-represented employees. The unions still have to ratify the agreements, they said. 

In April, then-executive director Keith Kinard, announced 12 furlough days to save $1.2 million amid decreased federal funding. At the time, Kinard said the NHA receives about 85 percent of federal funding it's supposed to receive per the housing formula. That's a $7.5 million cut, Kinard said.

But Kinard left the agency earlier this month after the board agreed in March not to renew his contract. Kinard, an 11-year veteran of the agency who helped improve the agency and build more than 1,000 new units of housing, opted to leave in July even though his contract expired in September, Commissioner Charles Bell told NJ Advance Media. 

The NHA is the state's largest housing authority and also operates as a redevelopment agency. 

Bell said the NHA found money in its redevelopment projects that allowed it to rescind the furlough days and offer the first salary increases since 2014. 

"I wish we could have given more," he said. But he added that the already "bare-bones" staff of about 340 employees would likely suffer from further staff reductions in the future.

"There will be some layoffs in the future," he said, adding that bumping wages would "grossly impact the staffing."

Bell said of the 12 mandated furlough days for all employees announced in April, only two were served before the board rescinded them. 

On average, the collective bargaining agreements call for an average 1 percent increase for 2015, a 1 percent increase for 2016 and a 1.5 percent increase for 2017, Bell said. The increase would take effect in August.

Marvin Bowman, vice president of Local 617, said his union would vote on whether to ratify the contract soon. 

"All this money, where did it come from?" Bowman asked. "You go from broke" to offering raises, he said, but added that any increase came as a much-needed relief.

The board has also hired a national search firm to help find a new executive director. Bell said the firm, Gans, Gans & Associates, had recommended three candidates, but he declined to name them. 

Bell said he hopes to have a new director in place by September. 

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

Salsa singer Jerry Rivera and Reggaeton star Tito el Bambino will perform at Newark's Latin Festival on Aug. 6.

NEWARK -- Two Latin music heavyweights are coming to Brick City -- and giving back-to-back performances for free.

Salsa singer Jerry Rivera and Reggaeton star Tito el Bambino will headline Newark's third annual Latin Festival on Aug. 6 in the heart Newark's Latino community in the North Ward. 

"We are bringing Madison Square Garden to their own backyard," Deputy Mayor Jacqueline Quiles, who organized the festival, told NJ Advance Media. "We are giving this show in the heart of the community, free of charge ... people can't believe a show of this magnitude is happening."

Quiles began the Newark Latin Festival three years ago as a way to unify the city's Latino cultures under one umbrella. 

"The main focus was to unite all Latinos as one and celebrate our accomplishments, our music, and celebrate our Hispanic heritage," she said. "We are a sanctuary city, we want everybody to be proud of where they come from, we want everybody to know that the city of Newark welcomes everybody."

Quiles says about 10,000 people attended the festival last year and she expects twice as many to swell this year's event. Univision, the country's largest Spanish-language broadcasting company, will take part in the festival for the first time and will promote the event during its programming. 

Rivera, born in Puerto Rico, is a Grammy Award and Latin Grammy Award nominee known for songs like "Cara de Nino" and "Amores Como El Nuestro." Tito el Bambino also hails from Puerto Rico and is a Latin Grammy winner known for hit songs in Spanish like "Siente El Boom" and "Mi Cama Huele a Ti."

The festival will provide free health screenings for the public and information on city resources, such as municipal IDs that allows residents -- especially those who are undocumented -- a form of photo-identification they can use at libraries and some banks. 

"The Latino community is a vital and growing community in our City," Mayor Ras Baraka said in a statement. "This festival showcases the best parts of our City: our music, our sense of community, and our musical and artistic culture."

The Latin Festival will take place from noon to 10 p.m. along Bloomfield Ave. between Lake St. and Clifton Ave. 

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

Once the third-most powerful person in the state, Sheila Oliver may be on her way to becoming the second.

Fox was "acting aggressively" near children, according to borough police.

GLEN RIDGE -- A Glen Ridge resident was bitten by a rabid fox after she tried to scare the animal away from children on a borough street, police said Friday night.

A fox at the Jersey Shore in this 2013 file photo 

Officers were called to the July 19 incident around 6:10 p.m. on Chestnut Hill Place, where the red fox was spotted "acting aggressively" toward children in the street, according to a police news release. The animal attacked when the resident tried frighten it off.

A neighbor intervened to separate the fox from the resident, the news release said. Police on Monday learned the animal had rabies.

State wildlife officials were notified, according to the police department, which urged residents to be careful around wildlife and immediately report any concerns.

More details on the incident was not immediately released. Police referred residents to the state Division of Fish and Wildlife website for information about foxes.

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

Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips

Anyone with information urged to call authorities.

NEWARK -- Police on Friday asked for the public's help to find a man they said is suspected in a robbery at business in Newark's South Ward.

Police released a photo of a man they said is a suspect in a July 18, 2017 robbery (Photo: Newark Dept. of Public Safety) 

Officers responded to the July 18 robbery around 10:30 a.m. at Decor Corporate Services on Elizabeth Avenue, according to authorities. A man was robbed and assaulted by three other men while visiting the business.

His cell phone was stolen in the robbery, police said. City detectives identified two of the three assailants and released a photo of the third suspect.

In a statement, Public Safety Director Anthony Ambrose urged anyone with information on the man to contact the Newark 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 Newark police division smartphone app or via the agency's website.

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

Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips