The Newark Yoga Movement is working with 17 Newark charter and public schools to bring yoga to the classroom. Watch video

NEWARK -- For a few minutes, all you can hear inside this third-grade classroom is a collective inhale and exhale. 

There's no voices, no sounds of scraping chairs, no fidgeting.

Students dressed in uniformed blue polo shirts stretch their hands overhead and grow tall like trees; they breathe deeply, close their eyes and search for their heartbeat with their palms. 

"When I do yoga, I feel really good. I feel like my whole body is new," says third-grader Astrid Arita, 8. "As if I was born today."

At Hawkins Street School, students in kindergarten through fourth grade practice yoga in their classrooms for 15 to 20 minutes a week as part of a program offered by the Newark Yoga Movement.

The stretching, breathing and mindfulness fits in with the school's priority on social/emotional well-being and making sure kids are focused so they can learn, said Principal Alejandro Lopez.

"We understand how students are dealing with the stresses of real life," Lopez said. "Yoga allows them to find peace, to understand they can take a mental time out so life doesn't become so overwhelming."

Students at Hawkins Street School practice yoga as part of a program with Newark Yoga Movement. (Bernadette Marciniak for NJ Advance Media | NJ.com)Karen Yi | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com 

About 500 kids in the school participate and say they're using the breathing and stretching exercises at home and before going to sleep. 

First-grade teacher Isabel Pita said yoga helps her 28 students "calm down a bit in the mornings."

In her class, students form the number four with their legs as yoga instructor Kim Stevens-Redstone tells them to look "at something that's not moving" to help with their balance. 

"It's the best job ever," Stevens-Redstone says between her back-to-back classes. "You can feel the energy in the schools changing."

Stevens-Redstone, who went to school in Newark, said she turns yoga poses into animal poses like the flamingo or the bear, and sometimes attaches stories to the stretches. Teaching children, she said, has made her a better adult yoga instructor. 

"We're all kindergarteners," she laughs. 

Newark Yoga Movement began in 2009 and is working in 17 public and charter schools in the city. The nonprofit has served 30,000 students since its inception. 

Founder Debby Kaminsky said she started the nonprofit to bring yoga to a city in need. 

"Urban districts have a different kind of stress than suburbs. You add violence to it and you add gangs to it ... yoga gives them these tools so they know how to regulate in a non-violent kind of way," she said. "You are helping to reduce anxiety and stress and sleeplessness."

Kaminsky said yoga in schools is starting to catch on across the country as districts are increasingly recognizing the value of exposing children to the practice.

She said students and teachers in Newark have shared stories of calmer classrooms, a shift in school culture and even one middle schooler who opted out of a fight. 

As the yoga session wraps up for Bruno Simoes' kindergarten class, he said the stretching made him "feel happy." 

"I see the good in you. You see the good in me. We see the good in each other. Namaste," the class said as they press their palms together. 

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

A group of peer evaluators from Essex County College's accrediting agency said the institution was still not in compliance with two of three standards.

NEWARK -- Essex County College can't seem to agree on whether it has a $17 million surplus or none at all, according to preliminary findings by the area accrediting agency.

The college is on tenuous ground with its accreditation status and losing it could make thousands of students ineligible for federal grants -- and potentially prompt the institution's closure.

Peer evaluators from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, which accredits area colleges, visited the campus last week and on Friday flagged ongoing issues with governance and finance but said student enrollment practices had improved.

The news caps a tumultuous few weeks riddled with accusations of collusion, harassment and money misuse among leaders of the college.

One day before the Middle States findings were presented, President Anthony Munroe made new allegations against two Board of Trustees members, citing them in a workplace harassment complaint, NJ Advance Media learned. 

The ongoing tension between the president, who was appointed in May, and members of the board was alluded to by the Middle States evaluators who found there "was not a cohesive relationship between the president and the Board of Trustees."

The school has cycled through several presidents in the last seven years, two of whom who left embroiled in scandal. A year ago, the college was placed on warning for failing to meet three accreditation criteria -- including leadership and governance. 

"Past behaviors and practices must stop so we can move the college forward," Munroe told NJ Advance Media, declining to comment on his complaint. "These are historical issues, particularly in regard to financial oversight, internal controls and matters related to leadership and governance ... we have to turn the page, we must."

The Middle States findings are preliminary and do not change the college's accreditation status. Among the findings and recommendations:

• Evaluators were given "conflicting information" on how much was in the college's fund balance, ranging from $17 million to zero to negative
• There's no chief financial officer, raising concerns about how the college will address fiscal needs
• The evaluators recommended building a sufficient fund balance and an annual evaluation of the president by the board  
• The college is in compliance with student retention and enrollment standards

Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, who appoints the majority of the board, urged unity and said he remained excited about the future of the college. 

"Today is a new day and we're going to move forward together as a team," he said. "Everybody's got to pull together."

On Friday, peer evaluators for Middle States presented initial findings but did not engage in a discussion with the audience. The findings and recommendations are subject to further review by the Middle States Committee on Follow-Up Activities and a final vote by the Middle States Commission in November. 

"The board and the administration have to take the opportunity to ensure students achieve deeper, lasting learning and in partnership, foster an environment of communication, collaboration, civility, respect and professionalism," Board Chair Bibi Taylor said. "But the underlying word is partnership."

It is extremely rare for an institution to be stripped of its accreditation. In the last nine years, only four institutions have lost accreditation -- mostly for financial reasons -- and none have been in New Jersey, said Richard Pokrass, director for communications and public relations for Middle States. 

The agency accredits 525 colleges and universities in the area.

Clergy leaders continue to rail against what they say is corruption and collusion at Essex County College, express support for new prez pic.twitter.com/HYBmT8HACE

-- Karen Yi (@karen_yi) September 27, 2017

"It is confirmation that the faith community was not sensationalizing, was not victimizing," Rev. Ronald Slaughter said of the findings. Slaughter and other clergy leaders have decried political interference at the college, alleging it has hindered Munroe's ability to lead. "We had facts that this type of culture existed," he said. 

Not in compliance

Dozens filled J. Harry Smith Hall on Friday for an update on the college's accreditation. The college has two years (until Nov. 2018) to correct the issues or lose accreditation. If significant progress is made, the school may be given a one-year extension.

Evaluators said Essex County College was in compliance with only one of the three standards the institution was cited for: Student retention and enrollment. Evaluators credited the college's successful enrollment management plan and a "clear strategy" to assess that.

However, they raised concerns about the absence of a CFO.

The board narrowly rejected Munroe's CFO pick in August after an administrator -- who was later placed on paid leave -- and some board members expressed concerns with his qualifications and Munroe's hiring practices. 

"That was a huge missed opportunity for us," Munroe told NJ Advance Media, calling his candidate "exceptionally qualified."

Taylor, who voted against the pick, said the search for a qualified CFO was ongoing and a new deputy CFO position was filled last month. 

Ongoing turmoil

As the college hosted Middle States evaluators, tension between the president and the board intensified. 

On Thursday, Munroe wrote an email to the Board of Trustees saying he was adding board president Taylor and board member Safanya Searcy to an internal complaint of workplace harassment he previously filed against Joyce Wilson Harley, the vice president of administration and finance. Harley has been placed on paid leave.

In a lengthy email obtained by NJ Advance Media, Munroe listed 24 "unacceptable actions and incidents" as evidence.

"I have been the intentional victim and target of workplace harassment, bullying, intimidation, discrimination, defamation and undermining of my presidency as result of the actions of Joyce Harley, Bibi Taylor, and Safanya Searcy in their official capacity as affiliated with Essex County College and individually as known personal friends of each other," he wrote. 

Taylor said she could not discuss personnel matters, adding that the representation made in the email "draws conclusion not reflective of intent or facts."

"I have asked board counsel to identify the appropriate mechanism to review the president's concern and advise the board accordingly," she said.

It's not clear what action the college can take against board members who are appointed by the county executive. 

"The public turmoil does not help the institution nor does it foster an environment ripe for an education," said Taylor. Her board term expires Oct. 31 and she said she will not seek reappointment to her term due to career and family demands.

Searcy declined to comment on personnel matters but said holding the president accountable did not mean she was any less supportive of Munroe.

"My support will never be absent conducting due diligence on recommendations as presented by the administration, asking the appropriate questions that will help inform my individual position on recommendations, and expressing my individual opinion and rationale in forming my decisions," she said in a statement. "The question of the day is: Will we lock arms and press forward in a positive direction together for the sake of the students? Or will we continue to bask in the glow of confusion and chaos, hidden agendas, personal motive and defamation of character?"

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

Essex County has the highest volume of crime in the state, battled largely by municipal police departments. Here's what the chiefs or civilian directors of those departments get paid

About 40,000 runners are expected to finish the race

A 36-year-old runner from Montclair was among the elite finishers at the Chicago Marathon on Sunday.

Matthew Slocum finished the 26.2-mile race in two hours, 35 minutes and 24 seconds -- good for 99th place, according to unofficial results.

He was the first runner from New Jersey to cross the finish line. About 40,000 runners were expected to finish the Chicago Marathon by mid-afternoon.

Three-time Olympian Galen Rupp was the winner, in 2:09:20.

The Chicago Marathon rivals the New York City Marathon in popularity, with an estimated 1.7 million spectators lining the course according to race officials.

Other finishers from New Jersey included Mark Washburne of Mendham.

Washburne, 61, finished his fourth Chicago Marathon -- and 34th marathon overall -- in 3:50:31, fast enough to qualify for the 2019 Boston Marathon.

"It was a little warmer than you would want for a marathon," Washburne said afterward.

Washburne is president of the U.S. Running Streak Association, whose members run at least one mile per day. Sunday was his 10,143rd consecutive day of running, dating to Dec. 31, 1989.

Slocum also races in the Garden State.

In 2016, he came in 3rd out of 1,158 finishers at the Fitzgerald's Lager Run, a five-kilometer (3.1-mile) race in Glen Ridge, with a time of 16:34.

Rob Jennings may be reached at rjennings@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @RobJenningsNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook

Two new members were sworn in to the state Senate on Thursday.

TRENTON -- The New Jersey Senate welcomed two new members this past week.

Democrat Colin Bell and Republican Kristin Corrado on Thursday were both sworn in to the upper house of the state Legislature, the body that makes New Jersey's laws. They will each fill unexpired terms that will run out on Jan. 16.

Both are also running for full four-year terms in the Nov. 7 election, in which all 120 seats in the Legislature are up for grabs. 

Bell, a former Atlantic County freeholder and prosecutor, was appointed to the seat vacated after the death of longtime Democratic state Sen. Jim Whelan, who died in August after suffering a heart attack. 

The seat represents south Jersey's 2nd legislative district, which includes most of Atlantic County, including Atlantic City. 

Whelan had already announced he was retiring at the end of his third term, and Bell was already running for the seat.

Bell's Republican challenger in the election is state Assemblyman Chris A. Brown. A Stockton University poll from last Friday shows Bell and Brown in a dead heat.

Bell told Observer NJ on Thursday that he would have preferred Whelan to finish his term.

"I can honestly say that I did not want to be here today," Bell told the website. "Sen. Whelan was a friend and mentor, a fierce advocate for Atlantic City and Atlantic County, and he was taken from us too soon."

Proud to be the newest member of the 217th Legislature to continue the legacy of my dear friend and mentor @SenJimWhelan. pic.twitter.com/cbuAt5ajU0

-- Senator Colin Bell (@ColinGBell) October 5, 2017

Corrado, a former Passaic County clerk, was appointed to replace veteran Republican state Sen. Kevin O'Toole, who resigned in June and became chairman of the Port Authority. 

The seat represents north Jersey's 40th legislative district, which includes parts of Bergen, Essex, Morris, and Passaic counties.

O'Toole had also previously announced he was retiring after 21 years in the Legislature, and Corrado was already running for the seat. 

Corrado's Democratic challenger is Thomas Duch. But the district is considered a Republican stronghold.

Corrado told Observer NJ on Thursday that it is an "honor and privilege to follow in the steps" of O'Toole. 

"I was fortunate enough to be here on his last day, and I heard the kind things said on both sides of the isle about him," she told the website. "And I aspire to continue to be the public servant that he was."

Honored and humbled to have the opportunity to serve as the voice of the residents of the 40th District in Trenton https://t.co/LJYGLCB7ak

-- Sen. Kristin Corrado (@sencorrado) October 5, 2017

The two males were found dead when police responded to the shooting at 5:30 p.m. Sunday in the 400 block of Irvine Turner Boulevard in Newark.

NEWARK -- Two people were killed Sunday in a shooting on the city's South Side, authorities said. 

The two males were found dead when police responded to the shooting at 5:30 p.m. Sunday in the 400 block of Irvine Turner Boulevard, Chief Assistant Prosecutor Thomas Fennelly of the Prosecutor's Homicide Unit said.

The Essex County Prosecutor's Office's Major Crimes Task Force, which includes Newark police detectives, is investigating the double homicide. 

No other information was immediately available. 

The killings marked at least the 50th and 51st murders in Newark this year compared to more than 68 slayings during the same time in 2016.

The last person fatally shot in the city was killed about a mile from the crime scene Sunday night. Farad Green, 39, of Newark, was found dead Sept. 23 inside a retail store in the 400 block of Hawthorne Avenue, authorities said. 

Check back for updates. 

Luke Nozicka can be reached at lnozicka@njadvancemedia.com or on Twitter @lukenozicka.

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Unconditional love is a wonderful thing.

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.

Competition for affordable housing tax credits, and court pressure, brings more low-income development to New Jersey's suburbs.

TRENTON--New affordable housing in New Jersey has long been planted, in large part, in communities where there are poor people.

But in a major change, the Christie Administration has begun steering more funding for low-income projects beyond just the urban neighborhoods of the state's largest cities.

Earlier this summer, the Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency awarded $39.8 million in tax credits for low-income housing projects, earmarking 60 percent of those funds for proposed developments beyond Newark and Camden, officials said.

The credits, which will help finance 2,178 new housing units for working families, senior citizens and residents with special needs, were awarded to 29 projects in 14 counties across the state.

Suburban towns have been under mounting pressure to provide more affordable housing. Many of the projects on the list were developed in the wake of a state Supreme Court ruling last year that handed power to the lower courts to decide on a case-by-case basis how many homes should be made available to low- and moderate-income residents in towns across the state.

The funding approved by the administration included $9 million in tax credits that were not awarded last year. In an unusual move, the HMFA also dipped into future credits that otherwise would have been handed out by the next administration. State housing officials, however, insisted there was nothing political about the early draw-down in funding.

"We saw the great demand for projects," said HMFA Executive Director Anthony Marchetta, adding that the state used future funding in the past for to help finance new housing in the wake of Superstorm Sandy.

"We are given a substantial amount of flexibility on how we allocate," he said. "We can draw future allocations down if we feel necessary or beneficial."

Housing advocates, meanwhile, welcomed the basic shift in funding priorities, as well as the additional funding.

"They're focusing and targeting both the urban and suburban sides," said Adam Gordon, associate director of Fair Share Housing Center. "Are there things that can be improved upon? Yes--but the balance is a good thing."

He noted that in past years, the formula for funding was heavily weighted toward cost.

"They were funding the cheapest projects and it's cheapest to go to Camden, rather than places like Jersey City," said Gordon, pointing to the heavy gentrification pressures on Jersey City and the city's low-income housing needs.

"Now the preferences include job opportunities, schools and transportation.

New Jersey Future, a Trenton-based non-partisan group focused on land-use and growth policies, also favored the shift in the awarding of low-income tax credits

"I think New Jersey is ahead of the country in recognizing that continuing to encourage low-income housing in places that already have it just perpetuates the cycle of poverty," said research director Tim Evans, who has studied the state's funding plan.

At the same time, Evans called the tax credits a big deal.

"They're responsible for more low-income housing built than any other kind of aid," he said.

The credits will help leverage approximately $378 million in private equity, state officials said.

Marchetta said despite the shift, the state still commits 40 percent of its low-income tax credits to urban areas. Competition for the remaining dollars is based on a scoring matrix that includes communities with mass transit and train stations, better schools and lower concentrations of poverty.

This year, there were 60 applications from developers and 29 were funded.

"It is highly competitive," he said.

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

They were found in a car Sunday

NEWARK -- The two men found shot to death in a vehicle in Newark on Sunday have been identified by authorities as a pair of Essex County residents.

Stefan Tinsley, 33, of East Orange and Yasin Calloway, 26, of Newark, were pronounced dead shortly after police arrived on the 400 block of Irvine Turner Boulevard around 5:30 p.m., authorities said Monday.

No motive for the shooting has been identified and no arrests have been made.

Anyone with information is asked to call the prosecutor's tip line at 877-847-7432.

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

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Highlights of Week 5 football - check back again Saturday evening.

This musical version of the classic Jackie Gleason TV series is a sweet, if familiar trip down memory lane Watch video

Nostalgia can be warm, charming, even uplifting. Rarely is it revelatory or exciting. "The Honeymooners," a world-premiere musical at the Paper Mill Playhouse, based on the classic 1950s Jackie Gleason-Art Carney sitcom, delivers punchy laugh lines and bouncy songs to accompany a large dose of purposeful nostalgia; it is perfectly pleasant by any measure.

But like most successful sitcoms, "The Honeymooners" musical -- which many have suggested will follow such recent Paper Mill efforts as "Bandstand" and  "A Bronx Tale" to Broadway -- invests itself above all in that which is time-tested and safe.

Following the sitcom's paradigm closely, the musical finds bus-driver-with-big-dreams Ralph Kramden (Michael McGrath) roping his best buddy Ed Norton (Michael Mastro) into a get-rich-quick scheme, while the men's wives Alice (Leslie Kritzer) and Trixie (Laura Bell Bundy) struggle to support their husbands through yet another misadventure.

In this case, Ralph has discovered a contest run by a Madison Avenue advertising agency in search of a great new jingle for cheese. He figures that since nobody eats more cheese than him, he's the perfect man for the job. Act One finds Ralph and Ed winning the contest and landing white-collar jobs in the big city. Act Two reveals that the road out of Brooklyn to easy street might not be as smoothly paved as the men had thought.

"The Honeymooners" model -- the gruff, but lovable husband; the wisecracking wife; the wacky neighbor -- has inspired any number of small-screen successes, including "The Flintstones," "Roseanne" and "The King of Queens." As crafted by seasoned television writers Dusty Kay and Bill Nuss, the punchlines in "The Honeymooners" come quick and land regularly. This is a show at its most assured in the safe confines of TV Land.

The musical's creators have made updates to modernize things: The sets by Beowulf Boritt offers bursts of bright color to fill out Ralph and Ed's black-and-white television world. There are also frequent, knowing references to classic moments from the original series. (Fans will be happy to know that at one point Norton addresses a golf ball: "Hel-ooooo ball.") A late-in-the-show introduction of a real-life figure injects a curious dose of the meta into the proceedings.

There are also valuable efforts to downplay, if not entirely eliminate, the abiding misogyny of the original version. Both Alice and Trixie have become more fleshed out characters.

Trixie, something of a throwaway character on the original show, is here portrayed as a former burlesque dancer who still pines for her glory days and finds herself in a romantic dalliance with her ex-boyfriend. (This isn't totally out of left field -- when she first appeared in a "Honeymooners" sketch on "Cavalcade of Stars," the character of Trixie was referred to as a former burlesque dancer. The detail was never referred to again on the series.)

Alice, meanwhile, is given a chance to shine with her own number, "A Woman's Work," that reminds us that that she was always the brains and will behind the Kramden operation. 

And Ralph's classic refrain threatening spousal abuse--"To the moon Alice!"--has been adapted into a tender promise from a husband to lift a wife out of her workaday existence

McGrath -- who bears a remarkable resemblance to the Jackie Gleason of the television series -- never loses sight of the buffoonery underlying Ralph's outsized personality, and Mastro's Norton is a particularly enjoyable version of the zany sidekick. Kritzer also does well in her task of updating Alice to the modern world by finding for the character more of an assertive voice. Trixie certainly recalls the not-so-bright-blonde from the storeroom of sitcom stereotypes, but Bundy (who originated the role of Elle Woods in the Broadway version of "Legally Blonde") manages to find room for some compelling shading.

Still, what the show offers beyond a comfortably vanilla dose of nostalgia remains an open question. The songs (Stephen Weiner, music, and Peter Mills, lyrics) and choreography (Joshua Bergasse) seem engineered from an off-the-shelf Broadway starter kit, and little inventiveness is evident in story or characters. The director is John Rando, who showed more flair for nostalgia in his 2014 Broadway revival of "On the Town." The script includes plenty of winking nods to the modern world, which might work most to remind audiences of how distant the Kramden's world is from ours.

At more than two-and-a-half hours, this is a particularly hefty helping of reminiscence for a bygone era of life and entertainment. At some point during a "Nick At Nite" marathon, after all, one starts to wonder if there might be something new and different on some other channel. 

The Honeymooners

Paper Mill Playhouse

22 Brookside Drive, Millburn

Tickets: $39-$137; available online at www.papermill.org. Through October 29

Patrick Maley may be reached at patrickjmaley@gmail.com. Find him on Twitter and Instagram @PatrickJMaley. Find NJ.com/Entertainment on Facebook.

Residents in Kearny are hoping relief is in sight from loud noise coming from Newark.

Kearny residents along the Passaic River are fed up with loud music that keeps them up at night and shakes the windows of their homes, but solving the complaints has proven to be easier said than done.

The noise has been traveling across the river from Newark for about two years now, residents say, but in recent months the problem has gotten worse. Sometimes the music goes past 3 a.m. and children living in the neighborhood aren't getting enough rest for school.

Since the noise is coming from a different municipality, Kearny officials and the town's police department say there is only so much they can do.

Ken Pincus, director of the town's health department, said the noise appears to be coming from cars parked outside an abandoned warehouse at the Verona Avenue and McCarter Highway intersection. Documenting a noise complaint requires sound readings to be taken from the complainant's home, then on the spot where the sound is coming from, and again from where the complaint is coming from without noise.

An inspector also must catch the noise violation while it is happening, and since cars can easily drive away, it's hard to document the complaint. With the sound coming from outside Kearny, the town has no power to respond to the scene.

Residents, at a meeting last week to discuss the chronic problem, said the city of Newark is not responding to their complaints and they don't know what to do anymore.

Paul LaClair, a Kearny resident, said everyone in the neighborhood needs to be on the same page about what is going on and continue to fight to end the noise.

"This is a big deal," LaClair said. "A little bit of noise might not be a big deal, but when people tell me that they're losing sleep at 3 o'clock in the morning, that is a very big deal. And when I start reading things on Facebook that people are saying 'maybe it's time to move out of Kearny,' that's a really big deal."

Kearny Mayor Al Santos said even he has struggled to get a response from officials in Newark about what they are doing to curb the noise.

"I think the best strategy is to publicly embarrass the city for not taking action," the mayor told residents.

The Newark Police Department has been receiving "an influx of noise complaints," many coming from the Verona Avenue intersection, said Capt. Derek Glenn, a spokesman for the department. As recently as Sept. 25, a group of young adults listening to loud music were issued summons and ordered to disperse. The city plans to work with Kearny officials to curb the problem, he said.

"We are committed to responding to and addressing all activities that negatively impact our city's image or denigrate the quality of life in our city," Glenn said in a statement.  

Joanne and Jim Watson, who live in the affected neighborhood, said their grandson hasn't been able to stay overnight at their home because they fear he won't be able to sleep.

"I'm trying to be optimistic," Joanne Watson said after the meeting. "For me, I'd like to see resolution immediately, but I understand that's not going to happen."

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

Musical Director Xian Zhan and guest soloist Jeremy Denk were in synch from the start

On Saturday night in Newark, the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra kicked off its 95th  season -- and its second with NJSO Musical Director Xian Zhang.

The evening began with the NJSO playing "The Star-Spangled Banner" and then began in earnest with a delightful rendition of Beethoven's overture to "The Creatures of Prometheus."

Zhang, wearing her signature black Nehru Jacket and slacks, conducted with tight phrases and fleet tempi. The flutes were in fine form, sounding bright and precise. The 5-minute romp was a delightful appetizer to set up the main course: Beethoven's 5th Piano Concerto. The 40-minute work was an instant hit in 1811 and has stood the test of time, not only as one of the most frequently performed piano concertos of Beethoven's, but as a masterpiece of melody and grandeur. 

Zhang and the Jersey band were joined by soloist Jeremy Denk and his Steinway grand piano. The two were in synch right from the start. Denk brilliantly executed the opening arpeggios, and then Zhang hit the gas pedal with full-speed ahead tempi which the orchestra responded to with muscular playing -- the woodwinds sounding particularly robust.

The quieter lyric moments were lovely, too, with Denk's high octave notes displaying a glass-like placidity. Most impressive in this movement was the give-and-take in Denk and Zhang's collaboration: Denk's playing never competed with the orchestra, and the dynamism of the two forces gave the 20-minute allegro the heroic spirit that the score demands.  

The second movement adagio however is what separates the sublime from the merely excellent.  It contains some of the most beautiful music in the classical repertoire -- even Hector Berlioz (more about him soon) called it "the very image of grace" in his "Treatise on Orchestration."

On Saturday night, the adagio was indeed graceful but it fell short of sublime.  Despite the buzz of a cell phone, and a seating dispute that broke out in the front row (literary right in front of the piano), Denk was undistracted in playing the flowing melodies. But even before the distractions in the audience, the adagio didn't quite flow. It sounded lovely, but the phrasing felt played rather than just exhaled.

The third movement exploded with a barrage of notes that Denk played with aplomb and more fast tempi from Zhang.  They galloped the music home in a rollicking fashion, and earned a big round of applause from the NJPAC crowd.

Denk took a few bows and then quietly sat back down at the piano. As good as the "Emperor" was performed, the encore that Denk played next was truly sublime.  It was the second movement andante from Mozart's Sonata 16 in C major. It's a relatively popular sonata, so people in the hall may have heard it before -- but they never heard it like this.  Denk is very much en vogue right now -- he won a MacArthur "Genius" Fellowship a few years back; he writes for publications like "The New Yorker" -- and his playing in this encore showed why he is a special artist. He scrubbed away any of the fussiness of concert performance. Mozart's notes were played cleanly, simply and with feeling.

It's a relatively simple sonata, so to hear it played on a grand piano in a big hall at a gala could have felt forced. It didn't. It was breathtaking. 

Sadly, Zhang and the NJSO did have to follow that tough act.  After intermission, the orchestra performed the Berlioz's "Symphonie fantastique."  Berlioz was arguably Beethoven's heir in terms of big, romantic symphonic writing in the 19th century, so it was a smart piece to pair with the "Prometheus" overture and the "Emperor" concerto.

But what looked good on the program did not play so well in the hall. Berlioz's orchestrations often sounded mushy and the tempi flagged. Performances of this 1830 piece can run from 46 minutes to over 55 minutes. Zhang brought it in at around 52 minutes. It didn't feel painfully long, but it lacked the snap and insight she brought to Beethoven.

It was the first time Zhang has conducted Berlioz with the NJSO and she did so from memory with a score.  If the whole didn't quite come together, there were lovely moments. The harps glistened in the famous second movement waltz; the English horn and oboe duet that opens the third "Scene in the Fields" movement was both elegant and bucolic.   

The gala crowd applauded after every movement and gave a warm hand at the end. Then it was off to the gala dinner served out in the foyer outside Prudential Hall. The NJSO's 95th Season continues with Zhang conducting a program with more Beethoven and Tchaikovsky (another of her specialties) this week.

New Jersey Symphony Orchestra

"Opening Weekend: Denk Plays 'Emperor'"

Oct. 7, New Jersey Performing Arts Center, Newark

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

A look at the top games for the upcoming week in girls soccer

Victims of violence find love and healing

Shaka McKinney didn't know how to react to the people clapping for him Saturday in Newark.

He told them he had been shot four times last year, that his friend was killed last week and that he did a lot of wrong things hanging out in Newark's streets. No one in the auditorium judged the 23-year-old city resident as he stood on the stage at Belmont Runyon School. Members of the New Jersey Crime Survivors -- a nonprofit organization that supports crime victims -- don't do that. Neither do its allies: the Newark Anti-Violence Coalition, My Brother's Keeper, the Newark Community Street Team, FP Outcry for Youth and the Safer Newark Council.

MORE: Recent Barry Carter columns 

This day had been set aside for crime victims like McKinney to come forward and heal.

"I feel the love," he said. "I appreciate y'all. I don't know what to say."

Panelists discussing victimization and trauma embraced him. The audience stood and greeted him with an ovation for his willingness to share his hurt.

It came in the final minutes of a five-hour gathering that was emotional, spiritual and substantive. There was a healing prayer circle with African drum beats for those who lost loved ones to violence. There was information on legislation to remove barriers to receive funds from the state's Victims of Crime Compensation Office for treatment and services.

The pain from rejection and death was visible Saturday.

Tracey Gardner of Newark held on to Sharon Redding, her cousin, who was the inspiration behind the event. Gardner, wiping away tears, thought about her 26-year-old son, Malcolm, who was shot and killed in June. She's angry no arrests have been made, and saddened that young people are seemingly callous toward life.

"This is not normal," she said.

Neither is the violence that has visited Gardner's family. Redding's son was shot and injured a week before this event, a victim of random gunfire on Hawthorne Avenue. In 2007, Gardner's nephew, 18-year-old Brandon Gardner, was shot and killed. No arrests have been made in his death, either.

When the people made their way into the school, the conversation shifted to a broken victim crime compensation system. Sen. Joseph Vitale promised to fix it with legislation he says he plans to introduce in January.

"I want to unequivocally say I am sorry for what you've been through and that you haven't been treated with the compassion and humanity that you deserve," said Vitale, D-Middlesex.

He was speaking about people such as Shakerra Jackson of Newark.

Early this year, she and her fiance, Isaac Brown, became the parents of a daughter. Three weeks later, in February, Brown was shot and killed.

The compensation board denied benefits to Jackson, however, even though under its guidelines her 9-month-old daughter should be eligible because she is a surviving child of Brown, a crime victim who was murdered.

"I explained to them that he's not here because somebody tragically took his life," Jackson said. "They still said no."

Vitale's bill expands the definition of a crime victim, and that should help Jackson. The couple were in a legitimate relationship in which Brown was living with Jackson and supporting her financially to care for their child. He said he would make sure legislation includes an example like hers so similar couples would be eligible for assistance.

Among its many new features, the bill requires funds to be dispensed immediately after a crime to pay for funerals, mental health counseling and the loss of financial support, unexpectedly adding to Jackson's hardship.

MORE CARTER: Trauma is real for Newark residents and police

The senator said he got involved to update the compensation law after Elizabeth Ruebman, an organizer with New Jersey Crime Survivors, told him that residents, particularly people of color in urban communities, were denied funding and it's not being used.

"Last year, they (the board) had a surplus of almost $10 million that they didn't pay out,'' she said.

In this fight to help crime victims, Aqeela Sherrills, director of the Newark Community Street Team, said grassroots organizations must hold government accountable to release money that belongs to residents in need.

"Government deploys law enforcement to apprehend the perpetrator, but we don't deploy therapists and healers and counselors to deal with the after-effects of violence," said Sherrills, who was responsible for brokering a truce between the Bloods and Crips gangs in Los Angeles in 1992.

The lack of treatment can be devastating, especially for men who don't seek help when their world is collapsing.  LaKeesha Eure, a counselor and chair of the Newark Anti-Violence Coalition, said male crime victims view professional help as a sign of weakness. They bury pain with drugs and alcohol, making their situation worse.

"All they've got is their ego and pride, and their reputation in the community," she said. "They can't be seen as anything other than the big brother in the neighborhood."

But Eure was able to reach McKinney. Before the event started with a march to the school, McKinney told me that he's trying to get past the shooting. His heart drops, he said, whenever a car drives over a bottle. The sound reminds him of gunfire. 

"Anybody can get it," he said of the shooting.

His 19-year-old brother, Justin Clark, keeps his eyes and ears open, too. They were together when the gunman targeted McKinney over a dispute.

Clark fell to the ground, shot once in the back. McKinney dove on top to shield Clark from further injury, and was shot three times in the chest. A fourth bullet struck his hand. He was in a coma for a month.

"I know I'm here for a reason," McKinney said. "I just don't know what it is yet."

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

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

Olivier Vernon and Damon Harrison spoke about issues with Newark police officers. Watch video

NEWARK -- Olivier Vernon has received plenty of feedback since he started kneeling during the national anthem before the Giants' game against the Eagles on Sept. 24. Most of the reaction has been negative for Vernon, who has been the only Giants player to kneel for the past two games.

"It's crazy how you get a lot of hateful comments, a lot of head shaking, a lot of eyes that are looking at you in disgust," Vernon said. "It's crazy how there's a lot of hate going on when you're just trying to do good for your community and for your country. It's very eye-opening."

Equally illuminating was the support Vernon received on Monday. Vernon, defensive tackle Damon Harrison, linebacker Mark Herzlich and practice squad offensive lineman Adam Bisnowaty spent Monday afternoon in Newark meeting with police officers and high school football players.

Former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick started kneeling during the national anthem last year to protest racism and the shootings of minorities by police officers. The Giants players rode around the city in a van with Mayor Ras Baraka and four members of the Bronze Shields, which is the African-American police officers' association within the Newark Police Department.

"It was a very honest conversation about policing, how involved it is and how challenging it is to be a police officer," said Sgt. Levi Holmes, who is the president of the Bronze Shields. "The whole taking a knee situation, we wanted to give a different spin on it because we understand that the popular police opinion is negative about people taking knees. We wanted to let them know that we don't feel that way. We understand that they're taking a knee to object to the different injustices that happen in the country."

Harrison knelt alongside Vernon and safety Landon Collins before the Eagles game, which was two days after President Donald Trump called for NFL owners to fire any "son of a bitch" that protested during the anthem. Harrison and Collins raised their right fists the next week, while both players ended their anthem demonstrations before Sunday's game against the Chargers.

"To be honest with you, I was scared," Harrison said. "I pride myself on being a man who stands up for what I believe in. (Sunday), I took the coward route and I didn't do what I felt was the right thing to do ... Out of respect for the New York Giants organization and my team, I just chose not to be a distraction. But it doesn't mean I don't hold those values that I held prior to (Sunday's) game."

Collins was unable to attend the gathering after spraining his ankle in Sunday's game. Linebacker Keenan Robinson, who has raised his fist during the anthem the past two weeks, did not attend Monday's meeting.

Vernon: 'Trump ain't my president'

The contingent met at the Newark police headquarters command center and then visited the football teams at Central High and Weequahic High. The players and the police officers addressed the players and answered questions, before the Giants presented each school with a $10,000 donation for new equipment.

"A lot of times they see us in our uniforms and they don't get to see us outside of the field. And I think it's the same thing with the officers - they wanted to come and get to know the kids a little bit," Herzlich said. "As this is all swirling with the national anthem protests, it's important for us players to make it publicly known that we're not protesting against America, we're not protesting against our armed forces or the police. We just want equality. That's what our demonstration is about."

While Cowboys owner Jerry Jones vowed to bench any player that protests, Vernon said Giants owner John Mara, who has requested players to stand for the anthem, respects his decision to kneel. Vernon wouldn't commit to continuing his protest all season, but it doesn't sound like he plans to change his mind even as the only member of the team still kneeling during the anthem.

"Honestly, it's not tough when you feel like you're doing something that's right in your heart," Vernon said. "I feel like in my heart I'm doing the right thing. I believe what's right and what's wrong and what's fair and justice."

Dan Duggan may be reached at dduggan@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @DDuggan21. Find our Giants coverage on Facebook.

Worried about risks associated with repetitive blows to the head? Click here to read everything you need to know about concussions.

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