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Follow the $$: Who makes the most running each of N.J.'s 21 counties?

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Every county has a top administrator who takes policy and budget orders from the elected board of freeholders. Five counties also have an elected county executive


Kitten lost sight in one eye

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WEST ORANGE -- Victor is a 12-week-old brown tabby in the care of West Orange Trap Neuter Vaccinate Release. When he was found he had a virus that necessitated surgical removal of his left eye. Despite his ordeal, volunteers say Victor is a happy kitten with a "voracious appetite." He is FIV/FeLV negative, neutered and up-to-date on shots. For more...

ex1022pet.jpgVictor 

WEST ORANGE -- Victor is a 12-week-old brown tabby in the care of West Orange Trap Neuter Vaccinate Release.

When he was found he had a virus that necessitated surgical removal of his left eye. Despite his ordeal, volunteers say Victor is a happy kitten with a "voracious appetite."

He is FIV/FeLV negative, neutered and up-to-date on shots.

For more information on Victor and other adoptable felines, email wotnvr@gmail.com or go to wotnvr.petfinder.com. Since its founding in 2015, the nonprofit group has found homes for more than 150 felines.

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.

Records set, a triumphant return and more hot topics in N.J. girls soccer

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A look at the hot topics in N.J. girls soccer this past week.

Glimpse of History: At the counter in East Orange

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EAST ORANGE -- Warrick's on Sterling Street in East Orange is shown in this 1958 photo. MORE: Vintage photos around New Jersey Commenters on the "I Grew Up in East Orange NJ" Facebook page note that Dionne Warwick grew up on Sterling Street not far from this establishment. If you would like to share a photo that provides a glimpse...

EAST ORANGE -- Warrick's on Sterling Street in East Orange is shown in this 1958 photo.

MORE: Vintage photos around New Jersey

Commenters on the "I Grew Up in East Orange NJ" Facebook page note that Dionne Warwick grew up on Sterling Street not far from this establishment.

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.

Football mega-coverage guide: Everything you need for Week 7

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Check out all the must-read content

ESSENTIALS
LIVE updates, results and links for Week 7
 19 bold predictions for Week 7
NJ.com Top 20, group and conference rankings
Another Top 3 showdown and 25 other must-see games
34 unbeaten football teams remain
Season statistical leaders
Week 6 top performers
Week 7 schedule/scoreboard by conference
Conference standings
Power points


PLUS: Hidden gems: The 38 best N.J. football players nobody knows


PICKS
Top 20
Picks for all six conferences
Every game, every winner

MUST-READ CONTENT
Hidden gems: The 38 best N.J. football players nobody knows
19 bold predictions for Week 7
Hobbled West Deptford, Haddonfield renew rivalry
The Face of Pope John: Jake Brown is Lions' leader
Football recruiting hearing for St. Joseph (Mont.) recruiting allegations delayed
Voorhees, North Hunterdon look to re-write history
12th Man TD Club honorees
Which N.J. alums shined in College Football Week 7?
Steinert defense ready for huge Allentown test
Asbury Park to name stadium after log-time coach Friday


WATCH: Videos for #NJmascot challenge - last days to nominate N.J.'s best mascot


RECRUITING
Which football recruits has Rutgers offered in October?
How have N.J.'s top 50 football recruits fared in 2017?
Brooklyn coach has 2 headed to Rutgers
N.J. RB Keshon Farmer back on market

GAMES OF THE WEEK

NJ.com/Star Ledger: South River at Keansburg
South Jersey Times: Gloucester Catholic at Woodstown
Times of Trenton: Burlington Township at Trenton

History made, county tournament upsets & more hot topics in boys soccer

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What has been the biggest news in N.J. boys soccer?

Far Hills Race to draw thousands to Moorland Farm

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The 2017 Far Hills Race will take place Saturday at Moorland Farm.

FAR HILLS -- It's that time again. 

Thousands will converge on the rolling hills of Moorland Farm Saturday for a day of steeplechase racing and tailgating -- in style -- for the 97th annual Far Hills Race Meeting

Proceeds from the event will benefit the Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset and Cancer Support Community.  

Seven races will be held throughout the day with combined winnings of $800,000, organizers said. It's a premier event for the American steeplechase community. But the day is also known for drawing party-goers across the state. 

In previous years, dozens have been arrested for unruly behavior but the police have cracked down recently, pushing that number down. 

The Far Hills Race Meeting began as a fox hunting event in Montclair known as the in 1870. In 1916, the event moved to Moorland Farm -- where its still held today -- and eventually became known as the Far Hills Race Meeting.

Doors open at 8 a.m. Saturday. The first race starts at 1 p.m. Tickets are $200 at the door. For more information visit www.farhillsrace.org.

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

Football: LIVE UPDATES, results and links for Week 7

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A look at all of Week 7's football action.

WEEK 7 KEY LINKS
19 bold predictions
26 must-see games
Top 20 picks and schedule
Statewide stat leaders
Quick picks
Power points
Top 20, group and conference rankings 

FRIDAY FEATURED GAMES

Ramapo 23, River Dell 20
Green Raiders prevail in possible finals preview
Photo gallery
 Look back at live updates
• Box score

Glen Ridge at Shabazz, 7
Roll continues in 'Redemption year'
Photo gallery
 Look back at live updates
• Box score

St. John Vianney 35, Red Bank Catholic 17
Look back at live updates
• Game story
Photo gallery
• Box score

West Deptford 17, Haddonfield 14
Look back at live updates
• Game story
Photo gallery
• Box score

Hillsborough at North Hunterdon, 7
• Game story
Photo gallery
• Box score

Florence at Maple Shade, 7
• Game story
Photo gallery
• Box score

Steinert at Allentown, 7
• Game story
Photo gallery
• Box score

Woodstown 32, Gloucester Catholic 0
Look back at live updates
• Game story
Photo gallery
• Box score

West Morris 21, Sparta 7 
Look back at live updates
• Game story
• Box score

Somerville 33, Johnson 7
Look back at live updates
• Game story
• Box score

South Brunswick 27, Sayreville 14
• Game story
• Box score

Ewing 20, Hamilton West 6
• Game story
• Box score

Nottingham 12, Lawrence 7
• Game story
• Box score

Millville 34, Bridgeton 16
• Game story
• Box score

Clearview 34, Cherry Hill East 14
• Game story
Box score

Delsea at Eastern, 7
• Game story
• Box score

Bayonne at Union City, 7
Photo gallery
• Box score

TOP 20 SCOREBOARD
Friday
• No. 4 DePaul vs. Seton Hall Prep, 7
• No. 5 Timber Creek vs. Paul VI, 7
• No. 6 Millville vs. Bridgeton, 6
No. 9 Vineland 34, Atlantic City 8
• No. 10 Manalapan at Neptune, 7
• No. 11 Montclair at West Orange, 7
• No. 12 Lenape at Hopewell Valley, 7
• No. 14 Paramus Catholic 22, No. 13 Don Bosco Prep 21 OT
• No. 15 Red Bank Catholic vs. St. John Vianney, 7
• No. 16 River Dell vs. Ramapo, 6
• No. 17 Westfield at Immaculata, 7
No. 18 Old Tappan 49, Northern Highlands 10
No. 19 Phillipsburg 41, Montgomery 16 
• No. 20 Camden Catholic vs. Seneca, 7
Saturday
• No. 1 Bergen Catholic vs. No. 7 Pope John, 1
• No. 2 St. Joseph (Mont.) at No. 3 St. Peter’s Prep, 1
• No. 8 Rancocas Valley vs. Notre Dame, 2

SATURDAY FEATURED GAMES

No. 1 Bergen Catholic vs. No. 7 Pope John, 1
• Live updates
• Game story
Photo gallery
• Box score

No. 2 St. Joseph (Mont.) at No. 3 St. Peter’s Prep, 1
• Live updates
• Game story
• Box score

South River at Keansburg, 1
Live updates
• Game story
Photo gallery
• Box score

Manchester Regional at Rutherford, 1
• Game story
Photo gallery
• Box score

Burlington Township at Trenton, 1
Preview: Burlington Township at Trenton in The Times of Trenton Game of the Week
• Game story
Photo gallery
• Box score

Notre Dame at No. 8 Rancocas Valley, 2
• Game story
Photo gallery
• Box score

Gateway at Haddon Township, 10:30
• Game story
Photo gallery
• Box score

Delaware Valley at Hillside, 1
• Live updates
• Game story
• Box score

Camden at Pennsauken, 12
Photo gallery
• Box score

Triton at Woodrow Wilson, 12
• Game story
• Box score

Jeremy Schneider may be reached at jschneider@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @J_Schneider. Find NJ.com on Facebook.


Week 7 football hot takes: OTs, milestones, big performances and more

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It's the best of this weekend's action.

1 man rescued, another missing in Passaic River, police say

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Man possibly went missing trying to rescue another man from river.

NEWARK -- Emergency crews on Saturday rescued one man from the Passaic River and were searching for a second person, who was apparently missing in the water off Newark.

The missing person possibly went into the river in an effort to save the first man, according to Capt. Derek Glenn, spokesman for the Newark Department of Public Safety.

A bystander flagged down police officers around 2 p.m. and reported seeing two men entering the river, Glenn said. Police, firefighters and emergency medical services teams managed to rescue one of the men.

"The man reported he entered the water because he was depressed," the captain said. "He is being treated medically."

Newark emergency services along with other departments were continuing to search for the missing man shortly after 4 p.m.

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

 

Driver charged after man killed in 3-vehicle wreck

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Passenger also injured in early morning crash.

NEWARK -- A driver faces charges in a three-vehicle wreck that left a Newark man dead early Saturday in the city's South Ward, officials said.

Emergency crews responded to the crash around 3 a.m. at Frelinghuysen Avenue and Meeker Street, Acting Essex County Prosecutor Robert D. Laurino and city Public Safety Anthony Ambrose said in a statement.

Responders found one driver, Jason Edwards, 49, unresponsive and trapped in the wreck, according to officials. Edwards was extricated from the damaged car and pronounced dead at the scene.

Another driver, Colby Dessources, of Orange, was charged with vehicular homicide and driving while intoxicated, authorities said. The charges stemmed from "observations of the police officers on the scene," and a preliminary investigation by prosecutor's office detectives.  

A passenger in Dessources's vehicle was also hurt, according to authorities. She was treated and released from an area hospital.

The investigation was ongoing and anyone with information can call the prosecutor's office major crimes unit at 877-847-7432.

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

 

'Clowns,' 'trailer trash,' 'losers'! Brutal local battles now fought on Facebook

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A political controversy in Roseland has spilled over into the digital world -- and experts are debating whether or not the fiery online chatter is a good thing.

Meet the realtor behind some of N.J.'s highest-priced listings

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From the creative director of the world's largest department store to a luxury real estate agent, Sam Joseph is comfortable pushing the envelope.

MONTCLAIR -- "Make sure to grab a lunch," Sam Joseph says handing over a brown paper bag filled to the brim with goodies: a sandwich, a few snacks, a ruler, pencils.

"And don't forget an apple for your teacher," he says with his buoyant Southern cadence.

It's not really the first day of school. Sam Joseph -- one of the most accomplished luxury realtors in New Jersey, who has represented celebrities like Whoopi Goldberg and various CEOs -- is just trying to sell a home, and you are only as good as your last deal, he proclaims. So for each new listing, he digs deep into his creative portfolio to stand out.

Today's theme? Back to school.

This is tame compared to some of the others.

Like, when he had live jousting outside of the Castlewood Castle he listed in Llewellyn Park.

Or when he had a West Orange home that he thought resembled Daddy Warbucks' house in "Annie" --  so he reached out to his Broadway friends to put together a cast to be at the open house.

Or when he hosted a Thanksgiving open house and told realtors he was giving away a free turkey. Naturally, Joseph hired a turkey handler and had live turkeys in the front yard.

"Realtors come to see what I am going to do next," says Joseph, who works for Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices. 

"It's always a party," one realtor remarks after Joseph passes her a lunch at the open house of a Montclair home earlier this September. "That's what we love about you."

"Just bring me a buyer," Joseph tells another realtor after she gets a kick out of Joseph's latest stunt.

In the world of real estate, the herd of realtors slugging their way towards commissions can often get muddied. There are more than 80,000 realtors in New Jersey, and "so many of them don't seem to love it," said Roy Scott, the owner of RE/MAX Village Square Realtors in South Orange. But at the top of this food chain -- those regularly capable of snagging those million dollar listings -- a mix of charisma, knowledge and reputation is essential. 

In Sam Joseph's case, some in-your-face creativity doesn't hurt. He has reached NJ Realtors Circle of Excellence Sales Award on the platinum level four years in a row -- hitting at least $20 million in sales and 30 units sold in each of those years. He banked $125,000 in just one week recently. Compare that the $50,000 the average realtor makes annually. 

In an age where real estate agents can be stars in their right -- look at HGTV's "Property Brothers," Drew and Jonathan Scott -- Joseph is New Jersey's own real estate personality. "Simply put, The KING of real estate in Essex County (South Orange, Montclair, West Orange, Maplewood and the likes)," one client wrote in a 2016 review of Joseph

"Life is a banquet and most poor suckers are starving to death," Joseph says reaching deep into his file of quotables. "Most suckers are starving because they can't see the big picture."

'When you walk in a room, own it'

Conventionalism has never been in Sam Joseph's arsenal. How could it be? He's a gay man from rural Alabama who says he started reading Russian literature in the fourth grade and who was married by 19.

A self-described "Southern redneck," he got his first major break as window director of Harvey Nichols -- the luxurious London department store the characters were forever visiting in the hit TV show, "Absolutely Fabulous."

"When you walk in a room, own it," Joseph says, echoing advice from his grandfather. "I did that in England. I would walk in to a conference room and all these people went to Oxford or Cambridge and blah, blah, blah. There I sit, a redneck from Alabama."

From Harvey Nichols, he made his way back across the pond to Macy's, where he served for ten years as the creative director for the world's then-largest department store. Those eye-popping windows -- the "most famous" windows in the world -- at the Herald Square store that million of people walked past each year? From 1993 to 2005, they were Joseph's brainchild.

"Everything had to be bigger than life," he says of his work there.

In 1999, the windows showcased animated scenes from the holiday classic, "Miracle on 34th Street," an ode to when Macy's was the first store with animated windows 100 years prior. He paired down the two-hour film and recreated six scenes. Joseph told the New York Times, the process took 2,000 hours.

Never short on ego -- "No one does creatively what I do," he says. "They never have" -- Joseph made the leap to real estate in 2006. Joseph was on his daily commute home to Glenn Ridge from Manhattan when he and his daily commuting partner, Amy Owens, then a fashion designer at Donna Karan, realized how tired they were.

"We were both at the point where creatively, we were so exhausted," Joseph says. "You can imagine, I changed the Broadway windows 40 times a year for 10 years. The big joke was I had more openings on Broadway than anyone else."

Sam3.jpgSam Joseph, the former creative director for Macy's Herald Square, has brought his creativeness to the luxury real estate market of New Jersey. (Courtesy photo) 

Within two years of getting his license, Joseph had a listing a youtful realtor may have dreamt about as they jumpstarted into the business. He represented both the buyer and seller on the $3.7 million sale of Thomas Edison's son's mansion in West Orange. The normal start for a realtor would be helping new buyers find a townhouse or listing a $200,000 Colonial-style home. 

"When I got in the business, everyone said, 'You know, you should really start with small houses and work your way up because you're a new realtor,'" Joseph recalls. "I said, 'I can't relate to those houses.' I just can't."

It helped that socially he ran in wealthy circles in these upscale Essex County neighborhoods well before he became a realtor.

"I always have been around big houses. I've never lived in a small house" says the man who describes himself and his husband, Dan, as a constant "threat to buy massive houses."

Joseph's approach

Which isn't to say that mid-range realtors -- or folks about to put their own houses on the market -- couldn't draw some lessons from the high-end agent.  Joseph, who does most of his work in markets such as Montclair, Maplewood,Glenn Ridge and Llewellyn Park, spends a considerable amount on advertising, which a considerable chunk of his monthly $4000 budget going to online ads.

And whereas other realtors might advertise a home as a lovely Colonial with dentil molding, he tries to highlight something that makes the home extroidinary -- like a Norma Desmond-like staircase.

"When I walk around the house with people I invent a narrative," he explains. "I tell a story when I am showing a house. I'm not going through like everyone else, 'O look, a Wolf oven.' I don't do that."

His approach landed him on one of the early HGTV real estate shows, "Bought and Sold," for two season in 2007 and 2008, after a camera crew following another realtor went to one of Joseph's open houses and took notice of a middle-aged man dancing with a flamingo.

Around the same time, Whoopi Goldberg was searching for a home outside of New York, and saw Joseph and his antics on TV. She eventually bought a home in West Orange for $2.8 million in August 2009 with Joseph as her realtor. When Goldberg later mentioned Joseph on "The View," his reputation as one of New Jersey's most preeminent realtors was cinched.

(Joseph says he has represented other celebrities but cannot disclose their names due to non-disclousure agreements he made.)

'I pretended they were in a Macy's window'

Back in Montclair -- the site of the "Back to School" open house -- evidence of Joseph's strategy is in full flower. The 2,822-square-foot Montclair home with five bedrooms, four bathrooms and seasonal views of New York City is listed for $899,000, but looks much different than it did six months ago.

Screen Shot 2017-10-19 at 2.06.22 PM.pngOne of the redone bathrooms of the Montclair home. (Trulia) 

He told the sellers he wouldn't take the listing unless they updated the master and main bathrooms, which hadn't been refreshed since the home was built in 1960. That got done, so then Joseph and a staging company came in and swapped out all of the Drexel Furniture from the mid-20th Century for contemporary furniture to make the open floor plan lively.

He makes that decision because he envisions this house for newleyweds from New York City looking to start a family -- "Pottery Barn people" as he calls them -- who have a certain look in mind for their first house.

"When it came time to how I wanted my houses to look, it was really simple for me," he says. "I know what they should look like because I pretended they were in a Macy's window. Four thousand people an hour pass those windows.

"It was very natural for me in the world of real estate to bring all that in."

Joe Atmonavage may be reached at jatmonavage@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @jatmonavageNJFind NJ.com on Facebook

At NJPAC, a celebration of the 20-year workers | Di Ionno

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Jacqueline Smith, the supervisor of ushers at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center had the seat next to the center's former CEO Larry Goldman at their banquet table. "Larry, I want to show you this," she said. As a four-piece combo from the NJPAC's teen jazz program played flawlessly bathed in rotating purple and silver lights, Smith produced a...

Jacqueline Smith, the supervisor of ushers at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center had the seat next to the center's former CEO Larry Goldman at their banquet table.

"Larry, I want to show you this," she said.

As a four-piece combo from the NJPAC's teen jazz program played flawlessly bathed in rotating purple and silver lights, Smith produced a scrapbook from the early days of the world-class music venue.

Goldman took the book and began flipping pages. The early days of NJPAC - back when photos were still taken with film, developed at the drug store and secured in albums - were captured in pictures and memorabilia.

Smith had ticket stubs to some of the first few shows, and one from the first gala, starring Diana Ross.

She had snapshots of herself with Natalie Cole, Bernie Mac, Lauryn Hill and James Earl Jones.

"That was the first hip-hop show," she said.

MORE: Recent Mark Di Ionno columns

Smith, who every knows as J.T., was there at the beginning, as were the other 90 people in a banquet room overlooking the newer glass and steel office buildings along the Route 21 corridor in downtown Newark.

The occasion was a thank you dinner for the employees and volunteers who have been at NJPAC since it opened on Oct. 18, 1997.

They are the ushers, the box-office workers, the ticket-takers, the security force, all the people who have welcomed about 10 million theatergoers to NJPAC since opening night, when the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, the Alvin Ailey Dance Company, Wynton Marsalis, Savion Glover, Chita Rivera and others took the stage to christen the venue that promised to transform downtown Newark.

That process is ongoing -- well-documented and obvious to anyone who stands at the front of the sweeping brick landmark and simply looks around.

Within eyesight are the restored residential towers of 1180 Raymond Blvd. and 740 Broad St., the two copper-topped towers that are Newark's tallest buildings. Military Park, at NJPAC's door step, has been cleaned up, re-masoned and sodded. BURG, a small new burger-and-shake diner that serves alcohol, recently opened.

Across the street, on a block that includes the venerable New Jersey Historical Society and jazz-radio station WBGO's studios, is a new Newark Visitor Center. Inside are Newark-themed souvenirs: T-shirts and hats, coffee cups and coasters depicting some of the dozens of outdoor murals throughout the city.

Across Broad Street from NJPAC is the refurbished Hahne's Building, now renting luxury apartments. The anchor retail tenant is Whole Foods.

Rutgers University-Newark has significant space in the building, too, called Express Newark, with an art gallery, portrait studio and performance areas open to the public. NJPAC brings music and drama there, and into the Newark Library, as well as its city branches.

"We'll do two dozen events at Express Newark over the season," said John Schreiber, who became NJPAC's leader when Goldman retired four years ago.

The Hahne's Building is the link between the downtown and University Heights, where about 40,000 students come every day to Rutgers, the New Jersey Institute of Technology and Essex County College. 

"This was the vision right from the start," said Schreiber. "(Former Gov.) Tom Kean came to the city with the idea fully formed; that an arts and education district could form around an anchor cultural institution and transform the city," he said. "And for 20 years that vision has been advanced consistently. No one has ever wavered from the big idea."

Schreiber said Kean's vision was brought to fruition by "the four horsemen of this audacious goal" -- Kean, former mayor Sharpe James, philanthropist Ray Chambers and Goldman.

Goldman added the late Star-Ledger editor Mort Pye to the list.

"The Star-Ledger and Mort Pye were incredibly supportive," he said.

That is the story that has been told many times. And the future story will include a hotel and conference center on NJPAC land and the opening of the One Theater Square luxury residential building across from the venue. Work is beginning on two more luxury apartment buildings in downtown landmarks - The Griffith Piano Building and the Bell Telephone Building.

J.T. Smith's scrapbook tells another story: the one of the fierce pride the NJPAC workforce had in their new place of employment.

Along with the historic ticket stubs and snapshots of stars, there are detailed pictures of the seats and woodwork in the auditorium, and pages and pages of fellow employees at office parties and other gatherings.

"We are like a family here," she said. "This is a wonderful place to work." 

Most, like Smith, are Newarkers, born and raised.

Smith worked at Prudential full time and Newark Symphony Hall when NJPAC began hiring. She was thrilled to get the job.

"I couldn't wait to get in here and see this," she said. "Then, I never left."

Tom Dixon, a member of the security force, came to NJPAC from Blue Cross/Blue Shield.

"I saw a lot of people work very hard to make this happen," he said of the early days. "We all have pride in it. It's been a very pleasant place to work."

Both Smith and Dixon believed NJPAC would improve the downtown, but the recent blossoming has exceeded their expectations.

"I thought it would last," Dixon said. "But I never thought it would change everything so much. But here we are. And it's getting better."

"This is a new time for Newark," Smith said. "This place has made the difference. It has brought people downtown. It's the center of the city."

Mark Di Ionno may be reached at mdiionno@starledger.com. Follow The Star-Ledger on Twitter @StarLedger and find us on Facebook.

Elderly man dies after being struck by Jeep in Union, official says

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Victor Alarcon, 68, of Livingston, died at University Hospital after he was struck by a Jeep on Saturday in Union, a township spokesperson said.

UNION -- An 68-year-old man has died after he was struck by a Jeep on Saturday in the township, an official said.  

Victor Alarcon, of Livingston, was struck by the vehicle driven by a Union resident at about 7:17 p.m. in the 400 block of Chestnut Street, township spokeswoman Natalie Pineiro said. He appears to have walked out into traffic, she said.

Alarcon later died at University Hospital, Pineiro said. 

The driver of the Jeep was not injured and did not appear to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol, Pineiro said. The Jeep was towed and stored for inspection.

Authorities are investigating the crash. 

Luke Nozicka may be reached at lnozicka@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @lukenozickaFind NJ.com on Facebook.

 

Motorcyclist killed in crash with SUV in Newark, officials say

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The motorcyclist, Kyle Garvin, was struck by a Jeep Cherokee on Saturday at Springfield and Fairmount avenues in Newark, officials said.

NEWARK -- A 32-year-old city man riding a motorcycle died Saturday after he was struck by an SUV, authorities said. 

The motorcyclist, Kyle Garvin, was struck by a Jeep Cherokee at about 5:30 p.m. Saturday at Springfield and Fairmount avenues, officials said. He was taken to University Hospital, where he died at 6:05 p.m., Chief Assistant Prosecutor Thomas Fennelly of the Prosecutor's Homicide Unit said.

The driver of the Jeep was not injured and remained at the scene, Fennelly said. 

No charges have been filed. 

The prosecutor's office's Major Crimes Task Force, which includes Newark police detectives, is investigating the collision, Acting Essex County Prosecutor Robert D. Laurino and Newark Public Safety Anthony F. Ambrose said in a statement. 

Authorities are asking anyone with information to call the task force at 877-847-7432.

Luke Nozicka may be reached at lnozicka@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @lukenozickaFind NJ.com on Facebook.

 

Refugee roulette: Why asylum seekers have better chance in Newark vs Atlanta

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The arbitrariness of determining refugee status is not new. But as the numbers of those facing removal grow, the issue has become more pronounced.

NEWARK--In Newark, an immigrant here illegally seeking to remain on a claim of asylum has a better than 2 in 1 chance of prevailing in federal immigration court.

In Atlanta, the odds are considerably stacked the other way. Some go as far as calling it an "asylum free" zone. Only about 2 percent of asylum seekers there are successful, according to federal data.

Nationwide, with asylum claims rising, and rate of those being granted the right to stay can hinge on where an immigrant appears and which judge hears the case.

"The disparity is incredible," said Lori Nessel, director of the Seton Hall University School of Law Center for Social Justice. "Something is wrong when it varies that much."

The U.S. Justice Department's Executive Office for Immigration Review, or EOIR, reported that nationally, about 43 percent of asylum seekers in pleadings before immigration court judges were granted the right to stay here in fiscal year 2016.

But as the Trump administration continues to step up its fight to remove those seeking sanctuary, numbers show much depends on where an immigrant appears.

In Newark, for example, immigration court judges on the 12th floor of the Peter W. Rodino Federal Building granted 85 requests and denied 43 in 2016. In New York, 85 percent of asylum requests were granted and three out of four asylum seekers asylum appearing before immigration court judges in San Francisco were allowed to remain.

"The data does shows that in certain cities, immigrant may have statistically a better chance of prevailing in their case," observed immigration attorney Harlan York of Newark. "Atlanta is notoriously among the lowest. "They're known for having some very tough judges."

In Atlanta, the courts granted 14 requests and denied 590. In Seattle, judges approved less than half the bids for asylum. Immigrants asking for asylum in Houston had less than 1 in 10 chance of being successful.

Why the disparity?

For an alien living in the United States seeking to remain here under a claim of asylum, they must establish that they are refugees who cannot return to their country "because of persecution, or a well-founded fear of persecution on account of their race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion," according to immigration officials.

It remains a high bar to prove in any court.

At least three Indonesian Christian immigrants were deported from New Jersey in June after losing a decades-long battle to stay in the U.S. over fears of religious persecution. They had applied for asylum more than 10 years ago, but missed a critical deadline for eligibility and were ordered deported.

The arbitrariness of determining refugee status is not new. Immigration advocates have long called it "refugee roulette." And as the numbers of those facing removal grow, the issue has become more pronounced.

EOIR did not respond to questions about the disparity. But some of the difference may be due to the demographics as well as proximity to the U.S. border, suggested Lauren Major, an attorney with the American Friends Service Committee in Newark, which represents people facing removal proceedings.

She noted that immigrants fighting deportation in areas like New York and Newark, where there are a lot of immigration lawyers and funding for pro bono lawyers, are more likely to have legal representation--a major factor that determines success in court, studies have shown.

"But I definitely think that some of it is just the luck of where you are placed in deportation proceedings because judges and Department of Homeland Security attorneys can make a big difference and vary widely, and it's not fair," Major said.

Those being held in detention--some already under a deportation order, or taken into custody upon arrival in this country for lack of proper visas--are even less likely to be successful.

At the Stewart Detention Facility in Lumpkin, Ga., only 16 of 242 asylum seekers won their cases.

Why NJ immigration courts are backlogged

At the Elizabeth Detention Center near Newark Liberty International Airport, where the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement contracts for a lock-up facility that can hold 300 men and women, judges holding immigration court hearings granted asylum status last year to 135 people and denied 172 others.

There was even disparity between judges who handle cases at Elizabeth, according to an analysis by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse, or TRAC, a nonpartisan, nonprofit data research center based at Syracuse University.

It found that between fiscal year 2011 and 2016, Immigration Court Judge Mirlande Tadal--who worked for Travelers Aid Immigration Legal Services in New York and was a former attorney investigator for the New York Commission on Human Rights before her appointment as an immigration judge by former Attorney General Janet Reno in 1995--granted 27.8 percent of all asylum claims. The TRAC analysis found Judge Dorothy Harbeck, a former state Superior Court arbitrator who was appointed as an immigration judge in September 2006, granted 55.2 percent of asylum claims.

EOIR does not allow the media to speak with judges.

Joyce Phipps, an immigration lawyer from Bound Brook and director of Casa de Esperanza, a nonprofit group serving immigrants and refugees, said detention centers present special problems.

She noted some being held in custody already have prior removal orders. At the same time, most of those in detention do not have lawyers.

"The grant rate is always lower for people without counsel," Phipps said.

Unlike those tried in criminal court in this country, undocumented immigrants do not have the right to an attorney if they cannot afford one. Those in removal proceedings may hire counsel at their own expense, if there is no delay to the government. But many simply cannot afford a lawyer.

Yet even those with representation are at a disadvantage. They are given significantly less time to obtain evidence than in other proceedings outside, said Phipps. 

"I usually worked with 3 to 4 weeks, rather than 6 months as in Newark," she said of clients she represented in Elizabeth.

Nessel said the data demonstrates a system that is inherently unfair. She argued that the concept of the justice system is that there's equal protection, and that two people making the same arguments should have the same chance at prevailing in court.

"The likelihood of being protected should not hinge on what judge they are appearing before," Nessel said.

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

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