Quantcast
Channel: Essex County
Viewing all 10984 articles
Browse latest View live

Man, 62, found stabbed to death in Newark

0
0

He was found on Smith Street at 8 p.m. Wednesday

A 62-year-old Newark man was found stabbed to death in the city Wednesday night, authorities said. 

Severino Ramos was pronounced dead after being found outside of a house on the 100 block of Smith Street around 8 p.m., the Essex County Prosecutor's Office said in a statement.

No arrests have been made and the investigation is continuing. 

The prosecutor's offense didn't immediately respond to a message from NJ Advance Media seeking additional information.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Essex County Prosecutor's Office  tips line at 1-877-847-7432.

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

 

 


Q&A with new Bergen Catholic football coach Vito Campanile

0
0

Former Seton Hall Prep coach Vito Campanile was hired this week as the 11th head coach in Bergen Catholic football history, taking over for his brother, Nunzio. Here is an exclusive interview with NJ Advance Media from Friday morning.

14 takeaways from the boys basketball state tournament seeding meeting

0
0

What are we looking forward to in the 2018 NJSIAA state tournament?

Booker raced back to N.J. after shutdown vote to help an ex-rival

0
0

City Hall was packed with supporters on Friday as Mayor Ras Baraka turned 13,000 petitions in, joined by Sen. Cory Booker.

Hours after voting against a government funding deal in the nation's capital, U.S. Sen. Booker was back at his old Newark City Hall perch to help his former foe, now political ally, Mayor Ras Baraka, file his petitions for re-election

"We have had four years of Newark rising," Booker said to a crowd of supporters outside City Hall. "I know what great leadership is, I'm here to tell you right now, that we the city of Newark have a great mayor in Ras Baraka."

Inside City Hall, the mood was frenetic.

Supporters lined the hallways outside the city clerk's office cheering as Baraka, Booker and (almost all) members of the City Council paraded through, carrying white boxes filled with 13,000 petitions.

"That shows that the people in the city believe in the four years that we just experienced, they want to have another four years moving forward," Baraka said. "I am humbled by the love and the turn out here."

"What time is it? Baraka time," people chanted as they poured onto Green Street, waving Baraka signs and donning campaign pins. 

Baraka is running on a slate with all but one of the incumbent council members. Central Ward Councilwoman Gayle Chaneyfield-Jenkins, who was certified this week, will challenge Baraka in the mayoral race.

LaMonica McIver is running on Baraka's slate for the Central Ward seat. His slate also includes North Ward Councilman Anibal Ramos, West Ward Councilman Joseph McCallum, East Ward Councilman Augusto Amador, South Ward Councilman John Sharpe James, and At-Large Council members Eddie Osborne, Mildred Crump, Carlos Gonzalez and Luis Quintana. 

"The City Council and Ras Baraka are going to get what?" Booker yelled, before leading chants of "Four more years." 

"I want to see your love on election day," he said. "Love votes."

Baraka touted higher school graduation rates (78 percent in 2017), a single-digit unemployment rate, a lower homicide rate, more cops on the streets and development rising in different corners of the city -- including Newark being named a finalist for Amazon's second headquarters

Baraka positioned himself as the anti-Booker candidate during his 2014 bid for mayor, and often clashed with Booker while he served as South Ward Councilman. The two Democrats have since formed an alliance to push forward initiatives in the city, like the return of the school district from state to local control.

Candidates still have until March to certify their petitions.

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

Girls Basketball: 15 takeaways from the state tournament seeding meeting

0
0

The brackets are now officially out for the state playoffs and here are 15 takeaways from the seeding meeting.

Liquor law workarounds set the stage for chaos at N.J. banquet hall

0
0

Residents are so fed up with the noise that lasts until 2 a.m. some nights, they say, that they book hotel rooms and drive around aimlessly so their children can sleep.

Shows at the Newark Waterfront Center end on one note: chaos.

Locals say tipsy concertgoers spill into the street at 2 a.m. on a busy stretch of McCarter Highway.

They snarl traffic, leaving paths of food, cans, broken glass and vandalism in their wake. Local business owners say they dread weekends in the summer. 

But the public disturbance doesn't stop in the city's Central Ward. 

It extends all the way across the Passaic River to Harrison, where luxury condo owners are so fed up with pumping beats rattling their windows into the morning that they book hotel rooms on concert nights.

Some drive around for hours just so their children can fall asleep.

"We want to get rid of them," said Gary Singh, an attendant at the gas station next to the venue. "There should be a limit. We are good neighbors, but if you're doing things that suffer others (sic), it doesn't make sense."

That suffering hit a whole new level the morning of Oct 1.

Garcia de Souza, 43, of Newark, was killed at about 1 a.m. while crossing the highway after a concert featuring a Brazilian music artist at the waterfront center, according to prosecutors in Essex County.

The vehicle that hit de Souza didn't stop, and, according to authorities, police don't have any suspects in the case. The death has raised yet more questions about how, despite all the problems, the shows go on.

A three-month NJ Advance Media investigation into the Newark Waterfront Center highlights a gray area in the state's liquor laws. The banquet hall doesn't have a liquor license, but instead repeatedly relies on one-time permits to serve alcohol. The center has held outdoor concerts that violate multiple local laws, including noise ordinances, yet the facility has never received a citation from the city, the investigation found.

These practices have allowed the club to not only avoid shelling out hundreds of thousands of dollars for a liquor license, but also, local officials say, put its thousands of visitors in danger.

After NJ Advance Media began asking police questions in September about the Newark Waterfront Center, the city's public safety office put out a press release saying it was shutting down a concert scheduled for Halloween. The city's public safety director, Anthony Ambrose, said his office began investigating the location after de Souza's death. 

"It was definitely a public safety hazard without a doubt," Ambrose said in a recent interview.

One of the owners of the waterfront center, Javier Gonzalez, said the building will no longer have concerts that end past 10 p.m. when the city's ordinance calls for noise levels to be under a certain decibel reading.  

"We are doing some things to correct that, so we don't have issues with the residents around us," Gonzalez said.

He disputes claims that chaos ensues following every concert, saying there is ample parking in a deck across the street.

"Has it maybe been chaos once or twice? It probably has," Gonzalez said. "Nobody is perfect. We try to do things the most right possible way we can."

As for the liquor licenses, Gonzalez said they are legal and that people who rent his space for parties follow the proper application process with the Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control. 

No liquor license, no problem

The Newark Waterfront Center is located on a bustling stretch of McCarter Highway in the shadows of where the Newark Bears once played ball. It's in an area that has few residents.

But just across the river is prime real estate in Harrison, ripe with redevelopment in recent years. One of the newer developments, the Riverpark at Harrison, is a luxury condominium complex that sells units for half of a million dollars. 

The Newark Waterfront Center was a union hall that sold in 2012 to its current owners, who turned it into a banquet hall that rents out space for events. A party for 50 guests costs approximately $1,300.  

However, in recent years, the hall turned a rear lot into a quasi-outdoor concert venue akin to the Stone Pony Summerstage in Asbury Park, hosting large-scale productions. A hulking tent shields guests from inclement weather and a stage with a large video screen is brought in.

NWC concert.jpegA music festival held in July at the Newark Waterfront Center. (Courtesy of Carlos Ramirez) 

The concert promoters, who are often based out of Brazil, pay between $10,000 and $15,000 for the space, said one of the promoters, Clerio Braga of B Shows Entertainment.

The Newark Waterfront Center currently has an application filed with the Newark ABC office to obtain a permanent liquor license. Ambrose said the application is under review.

NJ Advance Media's investigation found that the NWC has obtained two types of one-time permits for specific events it has frequently hosted on weekends since 2015: catering permits and social affairs permits. 

A social affairs permit allows a religious group or nonprofit to serve alcohol at fundraisers, according to the state ABC handbook. From 2015 to 2017, 21 social affairs permits have been issued to 13 nonprofit organizations hosting events at the Newark Waterfront Center, according to records obtained through the state's Open Public Records Act. 

permits infographic.jpgGraphic by Alex Napoliello

The permits, which cost between $100 and $150, are filed through the municipal ABC office in Newark and are then sent to the state office in Trenton for final approval. The application is rigorous and requires organizations seeking permits to provide documentation and outlines of the events.

Catering permits, the other type the hall's received, allow a location in the city that has an existing liquor license to serve alcohol in a different location for a specific event. The events that qualify for a catering permit, according to the ABC handbook, are events with a "single, special, non-recurring purpose, such as a wedding reception, anniversary dinner, Bar Mitzvah dinner or grand opening."

"The Division will not issue a Catering Permit to authorize the sale/service of alcoholic beverages at a location if such issuance will create the impression to the general public that the permitted premises may be licensed," the handbook states.

Public records show the liquor license held by Damelyx Inc., which owns the Mercedes and Mink Cocktail Lounge on Springfield Avenue in Newark, has been used to obtain catering permits for 12 of the 16 events held at the Newark Waterfront Center in 2017 that served alcohol. And in some cases, they are used for concerts that collect money for tickets.

On the night the pedestrian was killed leaving a concert, the catering permit was approved for Damelyx Inc. The promoter of the show that night, Braga of B Shows Entertainment, said the owner of the venue gets a cut from the ticket sales at the door.

Gonzalez, the owner of the NWC, said the entity that rents the space files for the ABC permit. When reached for comment, the owner of Damelyx Inc. said he had to speak with the ABC before disclosing information to a reporter. He did not answer follow up phone calls. 

A statement from the state ABC office said, "the ABC's determination (on whether or not a temporary license is approved) will always be dependent on the unique facts presented in the application."

The Newark Waterfront Center, Ambrose said, was indicating in the ABC applications that between 300 and 500 people would be attending their events, but that it was actually attracting thousands of concertgoers. 

"That probably should have been in the arena rather than on that site," Ambrose said. "To me, that was our main purpose for shutting it down. Also, they did have a CO (certificate of occupancy), however, they had no permit for the stage, so that's an issue."

License facts.png

'They don't know any kind of respect'

In the weeks following the crash, residents and business owners interviewed by NJ Advance Media described the area during the outdoor concerts as chaotic and "absolute nonsense."

The concertgoers park their cars in every nook and cranny along McCarter Highway and the heavy flow of pedestrian traffic is a danger not only to them but drivers as well, neighboring business owners say.

"They park anywhere, they don't care," said Singh, an attendant at Fuel 4 gas station, which shares a property line with the back of the NWC lot where the stage is located.

"It's very hard for us to stay here," he continued. "It impacts our business, a lot."

concert cars.jpegCars for concerts at the Newark Waterfront Center use a gas station for parking and block the entrance, workers say. (submitted photo)

The gas station shares a building with a car mechanic garage, which had its fence broken by a large tractor-trailer carrying equipment for a concert, the owner said. 

"They pretty much take over the location," said the owner, who did not want to be named. "They bring such a large crowd without any type of control. They block the place. They don't know any kind of respect."

Both Singh and the mechanic said the police do come when they call. But because there are so many cars parked, he said, there's not much they can do.

"By the time you call a tow truck, they're gone," he said.

When workers return Monday mornings after a weekend of concerts, they say they have to spend an hour cleaning up trash.

Police records obtained by NJ Advance Media show officers have responded to the area at least 20 times since 2016. Those reports include three noise complaints, three fights at the location and four calls for a sick or injured person, including one person hit with a bottle.

Residents in the area say the concerts have been going on since 2015, but the summer of 2017 was the worst.

A statement from the Board of Trustees at Riverpark at Harrison said the Newark Waterfront Center has "created a great nuisance for our residents" over the past couple years.

"The music and noise starts in the evening and continues well past 1 a.m.," the statement said, adding that the exceeding noise levels are "unacceptable."

Ambrose said there's "a perception of lawlessness in some places of Newark" - and it's a problem.

"We have to handle quality of life and we have to handle violence because before you know it, the small things become big things if they're not addressed," he said. "And to be very, very candid with you, if you can't do it in the suburbs then why can they do it in Newark?"

NJ Advance Media reporter Karen Yi contributed to this report.

Alex Napoliello may be reached at anapoliello@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @alexnapoNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips

Newark high school celebrates Black History Month

0
0

"Black History Month must be a time to inspire people of all walks of life to seriously study the great accomplishments and contributions people of African descent made," said Weequahic history teacher Bashir Muhammad Akinyele.

In a city where more than half the residents are African American, honoring and remembering the central role black leaders have played locally and around the world becomes personal. 

"Black History Month must be a time to inspire people of all walks of life to seriously study the great accomplishments and contributions people of African descent made," said Weequahic history teacher Bashir Muhammad Akinyele. 

But it's not just for the month of February.

Akinyele, the chairperson of the Black History Month committee at Weequahic, hosts weekly conversations called "Real Talk Thursdays" at the school to talk politics, social issues or celebrate culture.

This month, he's organized a myriad of additional cultural programs for students and the community. This year's theme: "Forward ever, backwards never," is inspired by Ghana's first President Kwame Nkrumah, who helped liberate the country from British colonialism in the 1950s. 

The school events range from cross-cultural programs and debates, to film screenings and field trips to see the new movie Black Panther. 

Black Panther is based on the Marvel character of the same name who was the first black superhero in mainstream U.S. comic books, according to reports.


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

Man who killed lone witness to his crime will spend rest of life in prison

0
0

Rick King, 34, shot store clerk Amit Patel, 28, of Edison, in the head at point-blank range.

A Newark man is headed to prison for the rest of his life for killing the witness to a robbery he committed to keep the man from testifying against him.

RickKingScreen Shot 2018-02-09 at 4.19.25 PM.jpgRick King 

Rick King, 34, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the killing of store clerk Amit Patel, 28, of Edison. Superior Court Judge Mark Ali also sentenced King on Friday to a consecutive 40-year sentence for the robbery.

A jury in December found King guilty of murder, witness tampering, armed robbery, aggravated assault on a police officer and weapons offenses. 

Authorities say that on Feb. 15, 2015 King went to Roseway Liquors on Lyons Avenue and shot Patel in the head at point-blank range as he worked at the counter. He died at the scene.

Patel was the lone witness to a robbery King committed on Halloween 2013 at the same liquor store, owned by Patel's father, and, authorities said, King killed him to keep him from implicating King in the robbery case.

The judge noted that King had 11 prior arrests and five felony convictions, including possession of an illegal weapon and drug possession. 

Allison Pries may be reached at apries@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @AllisonPries. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

 

Designer transforms space to serve survivors of human trafficking

0
0

The new offices and client areas of the Dream Catcher program in Essex County serve victims and survivors of human trafficking.

N.J. home makeover is a regular feature on NJ.com. To submit your renovation for consideration, email home@starledger.com with your full name, email address, phone number and town/city. Attach "before" and "after" photos of what you renovated.


The five-story Victorian had been recently refurbished. Its wood paneling, chair-rail molding and other woodwork freshly painted a crisp, clean white to complement the neutral walls. The floors were buffed to a high gloss, and in one circular room, set within a turret, the windows offered views of the Manhattan skyline in the distance.

But there was more to be done.

On the third floor, a walk-in closet would hold clothing, accessories and other essentials. It needed a mirror for trying on clothes and more shelving to better organize stored personal items. The third floor also would be the site of a calming space to sit quietly and imagine a brighter future.

It was this floor and its five mostly empty rooms that Millburn interior designer Julie Liepold aimed to improve.

"The floors were pristine, the banisters and the woodwork were spectacular, but the space itself lacked warmth," she said. "It needed to be transformed into a comforting space. It needed to be warm and welcoming, but it was anything but that."

Her work was planned for a house that is no longer a residence. Its rooms have become office spaces, and on the third floor, the staff of a social services organization helps women recover from the emotional, physical and financial trauma of modern-day slavery.

The new offices and client areas of the Dream Catcher program in Essex County serve victims and survivors of human trafficking, an unlawful practice of controlled people to exploit their bodies or their labor. According to program literature, this can include forced servitude and prostitution or even the taking of a person's organs for involuntary transplants.

A person fleeing such situations might leave behind everything they own - if allowed to own anything at all. For women in such circumstances, Liepold envisioned the third-floor closet as the starting point for a new life.

"A lot of the women come in with absolutely nothing," she said.

From the walk-in closet, the program's clients can select clothes and grooming products at no cost. While they are not housed in the building, clients are assisted in finding safety and shelter. At the program offices, staffers help with law enforcement and legal matters. Clients also have access to a computer and work area to prepare essential forms and job applications.

Beyond outfitting the closet, Liepold brought in more than $10,000 in furnishngs, decorative accessories and supplies donated by her vendors and clients. She donated about 40 hours of her own time to design and furnish the program space, which includes a reception area and offices, a kitchenette, the quiet meditation room, a bathroom and the computer area.

"Every corner was designated for a specific function," Liepold said.

She asked about the organization's needs and desires for the space, and then went to work filling it with desks and chairs, rugs, lamps, artwork, seating, small appliances and storage units.

The meditation room might double as a counseling area to help soothe and guide troubled women, so Liepold outfitted it with upholstered chairs, ottomans, accent pillows and throw blankets. Among artwork is the framed woven web of a Native American dreamcatcher, a symbol of the name and work of a program affiliated with the Women's Center of Linwood in Atlantic County.

A palette of mostly blues and grays was used for the interior, recalling a calm sea and how water is cleansing and can represent rebirth.

Each year, Liepold Design Group plans a charitable project, and through the year, its vendors and clients are encouraged to donate items with minor transit damage or that are no longer needed but in good condition. Such pieces were essential in the Dream Catcher project.

"The installation for the five rooms took an entire day," Liepold said.

Her team included two members of her staff, her husband, her father and Short Hills home improvement contractor Andy Laplante of Speed Square Home Repair.

It wasn't easy work.

"There was a lot more heavy lifting than a lot of us were expecting," Liepold said. "The moving of some of the large pieces became very exhausting."

But they kept in mind the program's mission.

"It's such emotional work that they do on a daily basis," she said.

And the result of their efforts was one way they could help.

"The day before it was just a sofa and a bean bag chair," Liepold said. "When the clients came in on a Monday, it was a completely new space."

Liepold says her company's charitable projects shed light on the ways design can improve lives. She challenged her peers to also make better use of perfectly good furnishings and other usable pieces that might become castoffs.

"Pro bono interior design projects illustrate the design profession's opportunity to make a difference in our communities," Liepold said.

What they renovated

The new Dream Catchers Program space in Essex County, including five rooms on the third floor of an early 19th century Victorian

How long it took

From April to August 2017

Who did the work

Liepold Design Group and Andy Laplante of Speed Square Home Repair in Short Hills.

How much it cost

The project was completed without cost to the nonprofit organization. Liepold Design Group delivered and installed donated time and furniture valued at more than $10,000.

How she saved

Liepold Design Group partnered with their generous clients and vendors to donate the materials and services needed. Staff and family members volunteered to help deliver and install the furnishings.

What she likes most

"I'm proud of the metamorphosis of the Dream Catcher program office into a warm and welcoming multi-use space for therapy, counseling and skills training for survivors of human trafficking," Liepold said.

What she'd have done differently

Hire professional movers to carry the furniture and furnishings up the three flights of stairs to the third-floor office space.

Kimberly L. Jackson may be reached at home@starledger.com. Find NJ.com Entertainment on Facebook.

'One horrible mistake:' N.J.'s worst accidental shootings

0
0

Although two happened recently, statistics show fewer people are injured by unintentional shootings in New Jersey

Coming face-to-face with Newark | Di Ionno

0
0

Tour group celebrates city's history and culture

Have you met Newark?

Have you seen the new downtown galleries and eateries?

Have you met the resident artists and restaurant owners?

Do you know the early history, from Robert Treat's founding to George Washington's retreat.

Or the inventing genius of Seth Boyden?

Do you know the literary elite: Stephen Crane, Phillip Roth and Amiri Baraka?

Or the music stars: Sarah Vaughan, Frankie Valli and Whitney Houston, to name a few?

Have you been in the plush and ornate Ballantine House, built by the brewing family and now a showpiece of the Newark Museum?

Have you seen Gutzon Borglum's "Wars of America" sculpture at Military Park or his "Seated Lincoln" outside the Essex County Historic Courthouse -- both created long before the famed sculptor took on Mount Rushmore?

And did you know that the courthouse was designed by Cass Gilbert, who also was the architect for The Woolworth Building in New York and the United States Supreme Court Building in Washington?

Have you met Newark?

Really met Newark?

These facts, and many more, grabbed the attention of two young transplanted urban planners a few years ago, and they began to show off their adopted to city friends and family.

"I realized the negative dialogue about Newark wasn't driven by the people in the social and business scene of the city," said Emily Manz. "Much of it came from people who probably hadn't stepped foot in the city in years." 

After swapping stories about how Newark surprised their visitors, Manz and partner Antonio Valla started a tour business in 2012 called "Have You Met Newark?" 

MORE: Recent Mark Di Ionno columns 

It has since expanded to include Nom Nom Newark, a restaurant tour, and Brick City Bar Crawl, a night-life gallivant through town.

There's a downtown tour and an Ironbound tour. There are church tours. Or almost anything else a booking group wants.

"We had the Brandeis University Club of Middlesex County call, and they wanted to see the Newark murals," Manz said. "So we put together a tour for them."

Other alumni groups, such as Harvard and the University of Chicago, have taken tours. Students and teachers from some of the Newark charter schools, too, have gotten to know the city better.

"It's a labor of love," said Manz, who also runs a "boutique consulting firm" for economic development and tourism called EMI Strategies.

The audio literature and entertain giant Audible, headquartered in Newark since 2007, sends all of its new employees on a "Have You Met Newark Tour?"

"We always tried to do a mixture of things, especially for people new to Newark," Valla said. "There is always something new to discover, to learn or experience."

For instance, the just several hundred feet from where Audible is building a hi-tech center in the old Second Presbyterian Church on Washington Street, glass artist Richard Paz has a studio where he practices a craft that dates back to the Roman Empire.

Paz's shop, GlassRoots, is a stop on the tour of small businesses and restaurants in the Halsey Street area.

Last Monday, Manz led a group of about 20 new Audible employees into Paz's shop. They watched as he fired up a glass-blowing tube and created an ornamental bead.

"These tours are great for us," Paz said. "They find out about us. We've had people come back to take our workshops or buy our jewelry or home goods."

For Manz and Valla, that is part of their mission: to marry the burgeoning corporate presence in the city to home-grown culture.

As far as Audible is concerned, that's a good goal.

"We get new employees on a tour within the first one or two weeks of being hired," said Kamian Allen, vice president of communication and public relations at the Amazon-owned company. "Newark has always been a hub of innovation and we want our employees, many of whom come from hi-tech and creative backgrounds, to be inspired by the city."

That is certainly true of the "Have You Met Newark?" founders.

Manz, 29, was from the small Connecticut town of Woodstock, and went to college in Hungary. She met Newark while doing her graduate work in urban planning at Rutgers.

She got her first tour from one of her professors, the late Robert Curvin, who wrote "Inside Newark," a profile of the city since 1950 as it declined toward the 1967 riots/rebellion, to the modern days of hope and rebuilding.

Valla, 35, grew up in Fullerton, Cal., went to school "back East" at Dartmouth, then Harvard's School of Urban Planning.

His Newark connection was Toni Griffin, a professor at Harvard who had been the city's director of community development under Mayor Cory Booker.

Valla is employed by the RBH Group, the developers of the city's Teacher's Village, and the yet-to-be-built Four Corners Millennium project, which will transform the intersection of Broad and Market Streets.

Once Manz and Valla found themselves in Newark, they never left. 

"I quickly recognized the positive aspects of the city," Valla said. "Everybody wants the city to do well."

"We wanted to change that 'underdog' narrative," Manz said. "We certainly don't feel that way."

In fact, they feel the opposite. They believe Newark no longer needs to exist in the shadow of New York City.

"Newark was - and is - New Jersey's downtown," Valla said. "This was the center of a major metropolis and we feel it is positioned to become that again."

* * *

"Have You Met Newark?" tours cost $250 for groups and $10 for individuals. For more information, visit haveyoumetnewark.com or call (646) 856-9076.

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

Newark cops seize 16 guns in one week, authorities say

0
0

Newark police have seen an 88-percent increase in gun seizures in the city so far this year over the same period in 2017.

The seizure of a loaded .40-caliber handgun from a juvenile in Newark on Sunday marked the 16th gun taken off the city's streets this week, police said.

Newark police have seen an 88-percent increase in gun seizures in the city so far this year compared to the same period in 2017.

The department has seized a total of 79 firearms to date this calendar year, compared to 42 as of this time last year, Newark Public Safety Director Anthony F. Ambrose said in a statement.

Police said the juvenile involved in Sunday's seizure allegedly had pointed the gun at another person near the intersection of Parkhurst and Goble streets, and has been charged with aggravated assault and weapons offenses.

Police have urged anyone with information about such crimes to call the 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). Anonymous tips may also be placed online at www.newarkpd.org or through the Newark Police Division smartphone app available on iTunes and Google Play.

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

Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips

 

N.J. pets in need: Feb. 12, 2018

0
0

Homeless pets throughout New Jersey await adoption.

This information on dog safety was compiled by members of the Dog Bite Prevention Coalition -- the U.S. Postal Service, American Veterinary Medical Association, American Humane Society, Insurance Information Institute and State Farm Insurance.

If a carrier delivers mail or packages to your front door, place your dog into a separate room and close the door before opening the front door. Parents should also remind their children not to take mail directly from letter carriers in the presence of the family pet as the dog may see handing mail to a child as a threatening gesture.

People often assume that a dog with a wagging tail is a friendly dog, but this is far from the truth. Dogs wag their tails for numerous reasons, including when they're feeling aggressive. A tail that is held high and moves stiffly is a sign that the dog is feeling dominant, aggressive, or angry.

Dogs, even ones you know have good days and bad days. You should never pet a dog without asking the owner first and especially if it is through a window or fence. For a dog, this makes them feel like you are intruding on their space and could result in the dog biting you.

ALL DOGS are capable of biting. There's no one breed or type of dog that's more likely to bite than others. Biting has more to do with circumstances, behavior, and training.

Dogs have a language that allows them to communicate their emotional state and their intentions to others around them. Although dogs do use sounds and signals, much of the information that they send is through their body language, specifically their facial expressions and body postures. You can tell how a dog is feeling (sad, tired, happy, angry, scared) by looking at the position of a dogs' ears, mouth, eyes, and tail.

Dogs are social animals who crave human companionship. That's why they thrive and behave better when living indoors with their pack -- their human family members. Dogs that are tied up or chained outside are frustrated and can become aggressive because they are unhappy. They can also become very afraid because when they are tied or chained up, they can't escape from things that scare them.

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

Students keep being left behind on school buses. Is technology the solution?

0
0

A law that strips a school bus driver's license after a second offense hasn't stopped students from being left behind.

NJ.com boys basketball Top 20, Feb. 12: Deck shuffled after head-to-head clashes

0
0

Where were the landing spots after upsets within the ranks?


17 underdogs who could make a run in the girls basketball state tournament

0
0

See which underdogs could make a run in the state tournament.

Cops seeking man who stabbed girlfriend

0
0

The 28-year-old fled after the early-morning attack, Newark police said

Authorities are asking for the public's help as they search for a 28-year-old Newark man who allegedly stabbed his 33-year-old girlfriend multiple times early Monday.

a-mckinon.jpgAaron McKinnon (Newark Dept. of Public Safety) 

The woman is in critical condition at University Hospital, Newark police said in a statement.

Aaron McKinnon, 28, fled after the stabbing took place on the unit block of Martin Luther King Boulevard in the city around 3 a.m.. 

Anyone who knows the whereabouts of McKinnon is asked to call  the city's Crime Stopper tip line at 1-877-695-8477 or 1-877-695-4867. All anonymous Crime Stopper tips are kept confidential and could result in a reward.

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

 

WATCH: Fired up Vito Campanile addresses Bergen Catholic football team for first time Friday

0
0

Vito Campanile was fired up on Friday during an address to Bergen Catholic, his first time meeting the Crusaders since being hired as the 11th head coach in program history. Watch the speech now on NJ.com

Vito Campanile didn't hold anything back.

In his first address to his new team, Bergen Catholic, since being hired from Seton Hall Prep to be the Crusaders' 11th head coach in program history this week, Campanile delivered a passionate and fired up speech in front of Bergen Catholic players and coaches.

"I told everybody that's part of Bergen Catholic, I'm coming here and we're not going anywhere," Campanile told his team after taking over for his brother, who left to take an assistant coaching job with Rutgers. "We're not backing down from one challenge."

Bergen Catholic is the reigning Non-Public Group 4 state champion, capturing its first championship since 2004 last season. The Crusaders finished as the No. 1 team in New Jersey in NJ.com Final Top 20 poll and went undefeated against New Jersey competition.

To see Campanile's whole address to his new team, check out the video above.

And in case, you missed it, find our Q&A interview with Campanile from Friday here, where he discusses his decision to apply for the Bergen Catholic job, what to expect from him with the Crusaders and some insight as to who he believes Seton Hall Prep should hire as his successor.

JJ Conrad may be reached at jconrad@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @jj_conrad. Like NJ.com High School Sports on Facebook.

Man sought in stabbing that left girlfriend critical arrested, cops say

0
0

The woman is in critical condition following the early-morning attack in Newark

A 28-year-old Newark man who had been on the lam for most of Monday after allegedly stabbing his girlfriend turned himself in during the evening, authorities said. 

a-mckinon.jpgAaron McKinnon (Newark Dept. of Public Safety) 

Arron McKinnon was taken into custody at the city's 5th precinct around 7:30 p.m., Newark police said in a statement. 

McKinnon stabbed the 28-year-old woman multiple times at a residence on Martin Luther King Boulevard around 3 a.m. before fleeing, police said Monday. 

He is charged with attempted murder, aggravated assault, endangering the welfare of a child and weapons offenses.

The woman is in critical condition at University Hospital in Newark. 

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

 

'The ultimate Scout' led Newark troop for generations | Carter

0
0

For 74 years, Julio Balde was a dedicated scoutmaster for Newark Boy Scout Troop 102. Balde, the troop's founder and only leader, has died. He was 96.

Julio Balde was scoutmaster of Newark Boy Scout Troop 102 until the end.

During his final moments at home in Nutley last week, Balde was talking to himself as if he were still conducting a Boy Scout meeting at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in the Ironbound section of the city.

His daughter, Anita Balde, who lived with and cared for her father, shared his thoughts about Troop 102 as his health was failing. She said she let him talk, even though he had dismantled the group two years ago.

" 'Everybody knows that I haven't been well for a long time now and I'm not going to get any better,' " she said, recalling his words. " 'But we're going to go forward, we're going to keep Troop 102 alive.' "

MORE: Recent Barry Carter columns 

Balde, the troop's founder and only leader, did that admirably for 74 years. He died last Wednesday, at 96.

His funeral was Monday, but his former troop members, family and friends came to see him on Sunday at S.W. Brown & Son Funeral Home in Nutley. They said their goodbyes to a man who kept kids off the street for nearly three quarters of a century.

Let that sink in: For generations, Balde was a father figure, a disciplinarian and thoughtful mentor to young people. Since 1942, when he started the troop, Balde worked with nearly 1,000 boys, some who would go on to become doctors, lawyers and police officers.

Dr. Fred Lagomarsino, of Corsicana, Texas, is one of the original dozen, and credits Balde with his career choice when he joined the troop at 12 years old.

As a Scout, Lagomarsino, now 87, said his introduction to medicine was through Balde's lessons in first aid and applying tourniquets and splints.

"I was a young kid not knowing what I wanted to do, and my exposure to first aid got me interested in medicine,'' said Lagomarsino, who was a family practitioner in the Ironbound and later an ophthalmologist.

Balde taught them to be responsible and trustworthy, then would get down on his knees, even when he was in his 80s, to show how a tent should be rolled properly or how a knot should be tied.

He could be grumpy, but the troop understood him.  Balde stressed to his boys that they must have character, carry themselves with respect and persevere through difficultly.

"No matter how many times you fall down, you always have to pick yourself back up,'' recalled Gonzalo Saavedra, 18, a former troop member, who remembers this lesson from Balde. "If you fall down nine times, then you pick yourself up 10 times and keep pushing.''

The one scouting trait that best describes him, though, was that he was loyal.

"If you follow his life, you'll see that in everything he did,'' said Ron Janowski, 76, an Eagle Scout for Troop 102, who maintained his registered membership for 60 years.

Balde, a family man, was married to his late wife Joan, for nearly 50 years and was a dedicated father to Anita, who helped him with Scouting. In Nutley, he gave back to the town, serving as a member of the Volunteer Emergency & Rescue Squad for 55 years. When he had offers to relocate the troop to the suburbs, Balde stayed loyal to Newark and the Ironbound.

The troop meant everything to him. He always wore his uniform to scout meetings, and had it on again Sunday, lying in repose. A copy of the scoutmaster prayer was placed next to him; rosary beads were draped around his hands. Scout memorabilia, pictures and proclamations were spread throughout the room, including the troop flag, scout badges and his Silver Beaver Award, the highest honor  that a volunteer can receive from Scouting.

"He was the ultimate Scout,'' Janowski said.

His troop showed why. Some of them wore their uniforms, too, and took turns with the members of the Nutley rescue squad to stand guard on each side of the casket.

Troop 102 then gathered single file to face their leader. In unison, they recited the scoutmaster's benediction as they had done many times to end weekly meetings.

On Monday, Nutley police officers and firefighters stood in front of the public safety building and saluted Balde as the funeral hearse drove past. A police dispatcher called his name over a radio channel to symbolize  his last emergency call.

This is my final tribute, too, having written about him in his 69th year as a Newark scoutmaster and again when he closed the troop for good in 2016.

His mind was still able to lead, but his body wasn't. With interest in scouting declining, Balde had no choice but to retire, even though the troop kept him going for so many years.

Jose Leonardo, 20, helped his scoutmaster pack up that day, taking in all that he learned from him.

"The importance of service,'' he said.

Frank Fillimon, 70, of Madison was there, too.  He hadn't seen Balde in 40 years, but rushed to the church to thank him for his dedication.

"He led a lot of boys on the straight and narrow path,'' said Fillimon, a 1961 troop member. "A lot of kids wouldn't have taken that path if it wasn't for him.''

"He led a lot of boys on the straight and narrow path,'' said Fillimon, a 1961 troop member. "A lot of kids wouldn't have taken that path if it wasn't for him.''

MORE CARTER: Newark students reflect on sit-in protests | Carter

For Balde, the road to the scout's motto: "Be Prepared,'' started in 1935 when he became a member. He loved it so much that he started Troop 102 with 12 boys.

In its day, Troop 102 flourished. It had 40 to 50 Boy Scouts, a drum and bugle corp. There were 43 Eagle Scouts, the highest honor in scouting, eight of which achieved that rank in one year.

Having done so much for the troop, Anita Balde said, it's not a surprise that his last thoughts would involve scouting.

" 'I want to thank everyone for all of your help over the years and for making the troop a success,' " said Anita, relaying his thoughts from that night.

He then began delegating, the volume in his voice increasing with each request.  He asked the troop to put away the flag and scout equipment.

" 'You know your duties.' "

Balde ended the "meeting" with one word, the same way he had done the others.

" 'Dismissed.' "

Until one day they meet again.

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

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

Viewing all 10984 articles
Browse latest View live




Latest Images