Police received a tip while searching for 57-year-old wanted for January burglary

NEWARK -- Fugitive team detectives Wednesday arrested a 57-year-old man wanted for burglary, police spokesman Det. Hubert Henderson said.

John O'Boyle 

Detectives searching for Kevin Young received a tip that he had been seen recently on Columbia Avenue near South Orange Avenue. He was found in a vacant house on Columbia and arrested for trespassing and was also charged with the January burglary of another home on Columbia that was being renovated.

Anyone with information about this or any other crime are asked to call the department's 24-hour Crime Stoppers' tip line at 877 NWK-TIPS (877-695-8477) or NWK-GUNS (877 695-4867). Tips are kept confidential.

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

"You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams." --Theodor Geisel, 'Dr. Seuss' Watch video

Some thoughts on love ....

"I'm selfish, impatient and a little insecure. I make mistakes, I am out of control and at times hard to handle. But if you can't handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don't deserve me at my best."
--Marilyn Monroe

"You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams."
--Theodor Geisel, 'Dr. Seuss'

"Love is" comics were created by New Zealand cartoonist Kim Casili in the 1960s, and began appearing in newspapers in the U.S. in 1970.courtesy of loveiscomics.com, all rights reserved 

"It is not a lack of love, but a lack of friendship that makes unhappy marriages." - Friedrich Nietzsche

"Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage."
--Lao Tzu

"Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind, And therefore is winged Cupid painted blind."
--William Shakespeare, "A Midsummer Night's Dream"

"If I had a flower for every time I thought of you...I could walk through my garden forever."
--Alfred Lord Tennyson

"Love, American Style" was an anthology series that aired on ABC-TV between 1969 and 1974.courtesy of imdb.com 

MORE: Vintage photos around New Jersey

"A lady's imagination is very rapid; it jumps from admiration to love, from love to matrimony in a moment." - Jane Austen, "Pride and Prejudice"

"Nobody has ever measured, not even poets, how much the heart can hold." - Zelda Fitzgerald

"He's more myself than I am. Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same."
--Emily Bronte, "Wuthering Heights"

"And, in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make." --Paul McCartney

Here's a gallery of vintage photos of couples in New Jersey. Want more? Here's a link to our last Valentine's gallery. 

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

Ex-Irvington police chief says department restructuring was really retaliation.

IRVINGTON -- The pending split between Irvington and longtime Police Chief Michael Chase is proving less than amicable.

Attorneys for Chase filed suit Jan. 28 against the township, Mayor Anthony Vauss, and recently-installed Public Safety Director Tracy Bowers, claiming $1,000,000 in damages over the legislative maneuverings that led to the elimination of his job.

"The retaliatory nature in which Mr. Chase has been treated has substantially undermined him as a person and as a law enforcement officer with 40-(plus) years of service with the township," said his attorney Joshua Weiner.

Chase's controversial 14-year tenure as Irvington police chief came to an end earlier this month, as the town council re-affirmed a plan to consolidate leadership of the fire and police departments, mirroring recent moves in Newark, Jersey City, and East Orange.

http://www.nj.com/essex/index.ssf/2014/07/irvington_police_chief_back_at_work_despite_unresolved_misconduct_charges.html

Included in the legislation was an amendment eliminating the police chief position and permanently transferring oversight of the day-to-day operations of the township police department to Bowers.

Chase, a 40-year police veteran, now says the move to eliminate the chief's position was payback for complaints he made about a previous version of the ordinance that he claims illegally usurped the powers of the police chief.

Approved by the council in October, that version of the ordinance granted Bowers authority over the operations of the police department when the police chief was out on vacation.

Chase, who says he's been on "forced" paid vacation since March, claims in court documents that the provision violated state law. 

"My personal feelings are that I feel like I'm being retaliated against based on the action taken," Chase said on the night of the council vote. "I came here and told them in good faith that...not that the whole process was wrong, but that this part is wrong."

Reached last week, Mayor Tony Vauss denied Chase's allegations. "This was not retaliation," Vauss said.

"We were creating the department of pubic safety to save the township hundreds of thousands of dollars. We weren't going to have another chief after we did. We aren't doing anything to him."

Vauss also denied the move has any connection to the still unresolved disciplinary charges against Chase, who was suspended in from duty in December 2012 after the Essex County Prosecutor's Office accused him of manipulating a police investigation and misusing department resources. 

After 19 months, Mayor Tony Vauss lifted the suspension, a decision he told NJ Advance Media was influenced by the fact that Chase had continued to collect his $154,272 annual salary. His current annual salary stands at $166,020, according to state records.

The disciplinary hearings, which are being conducted by the township, could be resolved sometime within the next month, said a township spokesman.

Chase, who will turn 65 in 2016, faces mandatory retirement. His scheduled retirement date is July 1.

Vernal Coleman can be reached at vcoleman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @vernalcoleman. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Mike Guibilo sought redemption, first as FBI operative, then through prayer

If they were going to make a movie about Michael Guibilo, it would be part-"Sopranos" and part-"Jersey Boys."

A picture of young Guibilo says as much.

He's wearing a tight gray sharkskin suit, the kind that The Four Seasons used to wear.

But the tailoring reveals a freakishly large, bulging bicep.

See, Guibilo was no diminutive front man. He was a 6-foot-4, 280-pound sledgehammer better suited to the dark corners of the world.

In a few short years, he went from lead guitarist of a group called The Vibrations to bouncer at mob joints, to the guy who dismantled a safe with his bare hands during a Lakewood heist that made headlines.

After that job, he switched teams. His access to the dark corners made him a valuable - and legendary - operative for lawmen in several states.

The legend centers on his double life.

He foiled death plots against a federal judge, a U.S. attorney and a Paterson cop. He worked his way into the underworld of gun traffickers and jewel thieves.

But all along, he was robbing banks to augment his payments for being a snitch. When in jail, authorities would wire his cell - with his knowledge - to build cases against fellow inmates. Then he'd get out and the cycle would start over again. It went on that way for 20 years.   

MORE: Recent Mark Di Ionno columns

Guibilo's story begins in Belleville. It ends in the hospital ward of the federal penitentiary in Allenwood, Pa., on March 22, 2015, just three weeks before his 70^th birthday.

At Allenwood, he was serving a 90-year sentence for bank robberies in West Caldwell and Millburn, committed in 2003 and 2004. It was the 12^th time he had been convicted of a felony.

A few nights before he died, Guibilo was attacked in his cell while he slept. His sternum was cracked and he suffered a massive head injury. During his recovery, he fell and hit his head in the dispensary and died.

Guibilo's friends say it was a hit. Could have been the mob. Could have been the feds. Giubilo ratted on the first and knew too much about how the second operated.

This is not the opinion of a bunch of wiseguys, or wiseguy wannabes. This is the general consensus of a retired urologist, a prominent attorney, a CEO, an Evangelical Church pastor and a retired cop who worked with Guibilo when he was an operative.

They gathered Monday night at the Abundant Life Worship Center in Springfield to hold a memorial service for Guibilo and talk about his many conflicting sides.

"We wanted to wait until we got his ashes back from Allenwood," said Louis Di Bella, a retired urologist who knew Guibilo from childhood. The ashes arrived before Christmas.

One theme of the service was Guibilo's brilliance.

"He could do anything he set his mind to," Di Bella said. "He could have been anything."   

"He was the best there ever was," said Richie "Rocky" Barbato, a retired investigator who worked in the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office. "He was fearless.

"We wanted to do a job on a gun ring in Florida that would have been the biggest gun job in history. These guys had assault weapons, grenade launchers, you name it. Mike was in with them, but my boss didn't want to do it," Barbato said.

Another theme - believe it or not - was loyalty.   

"Mike didn't think of himself as a rat. He called himself an operative," said Joseph Cervasio, chairman of a business consulting firm. "When he switched sides, he gave them everything he had."

"He was more interested in saving lives than anything else," said Ramazan Zuberi, a paralegal who was working to get Guibilo released because of declining health.

Anthony Pope, one of the state's best-known defense attorneys, was also reviewing the case.

"He predicted he would be murdered in prison," Pope said. "He said, 'You gotta get me out of here or they're gonna get me.' "

When Guibilo was sentenced in October 2006 in connection with the Essex bank jobs, he was a shell of himself.

"He had heart disease, pulmonary disease, arthritis," Di Bella said.

He once robbed banks to buy expensive suits and drive Corvettes or Lincolns, but he was, in 2003, using the money to pay medical costs, his friends say.

In the end, as it happens many times, Guibilo found peace through faith.

A 2006 story in The Star-Ledger about Guibilo's life as an informant got the attention of Joe Cancelliere, the pastor at Abundant Life.

"When I was a kid in Belleville, I used to ride my bike by his house just to get a look at him," Cancelliere said. "I was getting into weightlifting then and I heard about this guy with 22-, 23-inch biceps."

Cancelliere still has the body of a powerlifter and one of his church logos shows a Jesus, with superhero muscles, bearing the weight of an enormous cross.

"God sends us people like us," he said. "So I went to see Mike (after he was sentenced). I said, 'God sent me to see if you need anything.' He lifted his hands up against the glass, and I put mine up there, and we prayed."

That relationship continued three times a week for almost a decade until Guibilo's death.

"I never physically touched Mike," Cancelliere said. "We always talked for hours by phone or through the glass. But I could see he was truly repentant. He wanted to get out and come work here with us."

And so the legend continues.

Part of what Cancelliere does is reach out to men in trouble, trying to find a path to redemption. They all know Guibilo's story.

 Good guy. Bad guy. Depending who you ask.

 But, in the end, just another guy looking for something else, looking for a way out.

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

The tickets were bought in five different counties

Five winner will split Wednesday's $906,560 Jersey Cash 5 jackpot.New Jersey Lottery 

Five winners will split Wednesday's $906,560 Jersey Cash 5 jackpot.

Three of the lucky tickets were sold in North Jersey, while the other two were purchased in Central Jersey, state lottery officials announced Thursday morning. The winning numbers were: 3, 6, 12, 18 and 24.

The tickets were bought at these locations:

• 7-Eleven on Huyler Street in South Hackensack
• Bell Liquor on Bloomfield Avenue in Belleville
• Amboy Gas on Amboy Avenue in Edison
• Jeena Jay convenience store on Route 9 in Howell

• Quick Chek on Union Boulevard in Totowa

Each ticket is worth $181,312 before taxes.

In other lottery news, no one won the Powerball jackpot. Saturday's drawing will be worth $176 million with a cash option of $114.1 million.

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

Find out how these New Jersey couples got together, in some cases long after they first met.

Valentine's Day is almost here, and to celebrate we asked New Jerseyans to share their love stories. We wanted to know how they met, where they had their first date, when they knew they were in love: all the good stuff.

All of those Jersey love stories are below. Some couples had an online connection, others met in school, on the job, or down the shore. Others reconnected after years apart, and some of these are just stories of true love. Click the boxes below to read each couple's story. We used initials to respect everyone's privacy.

Share your Valentine's Day love story in comments.

John Shabe can be reached via jshabe@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter and find NJ.com on Facebook.

Eagle Rock Reservation designed in the late 1800s by, among others, the Olmsted Brothers, the firm that designed Central Park in Manhattan.

WEST ORANGE -- This unidentified couple posed for a camera in Eagle Rock Reservation in 1915.

At the time, Eagle Rock was a popular destination for courting couples; there were open-air shelters at various locations throughout the wooded areas and miles of trails and paths for leisurely strolls.

The 408-acre reservation that straddles West Orange, Verona, and Montclair was designed in the late 1800s by, among others, the Olmsted Brothers, the firm that designed Central Park in Manhattan and Branch Brook Park in Newark.

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 Thursdays on nj.com.

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

 

U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman announces charges alleging gang members' involvement in four murders and three attempted murders. Watch video

NEWARK -- As the alleged long-time leader of the local Grape Street Crips gang, Corey Hamlet ordered "brazen" daytime shootings, sold drugs, engaged in robbery and extortion and terrorized Newark neighborhoods, federal prosecutors say. 

On Thursday,  FBI agents arrested Hamlet and three alleged Grape Street crips associates without incident. 

Hamlet, 39, of Belleville is facing an indictment for conspiracy linking him to four murders, three attempted murders and a host of other criminal acts, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman said Thursday. 

In a press conference, Fishman also announced that three other Crips members from Newark were being charged with distributing heroin and cocaine. 

Hamlet's arrest follows up on the arrest last May of 50 alleged Grape Street Crips members, including two individuals who were second- and third-in-command behind Hamlet, he said.

Crips used social media to scare rivals; plotted to kill FBI agent, feds say

The Grape Street Crips control much of the heroin trade in northern New Jersey, Fishman said. They kept that control through violence and intimidation, sometimes via social media, he said at the press conference.

"The people of Newark should not have to endure that kind of violence or the fear that it breeds," Fishman said. 

Hamlet is being charged with RICO conspiracy, violent crimes in aid of racketeering, aiding the use of firearms in crimes of violence, witness tampering, robbery, extortion and drug trafficking, according to the indictment. 

The gang's willingness to carry out attacks on rivals sometimes caught innocent victims. Fishman noted an incident in Newark on March 3, 2014, where he said an an associate of Hamlet fired wildly after a car chase and crash. A bystander was killed along with a person in the targeted car.

Another killing occurred in November, 2013, when 30-year-old Anwar West of Irvington was gunned down for attempting to settle a dispute between Hamlet and another gang member, Fishman said. 

Hamlet's control of the gang was so great that even as he was serving a nearly 6-year-long prison sentence through 2012, he was able to communicate orders to gang associates, Fishman said. 

Fishman said he hopes the arrests will bring some peace to Newark, including the Pennington Court public housing project where some of the alleged gang members operated. 

But he and Newark Public Safety Director Anthony Ambrose said the city police department has to do it with a force of 950 officers compared to 1,700 in the late 1990's. 

"It's definitely a resource issue," Ambrose said. 

Given those resources, Fishman said the multi-agency investigation into the gang was "exactly" how law enforcement needs to tackle deep-rooted criminal networks. He noted that investigators employed "a lot of wiretapping" to build the criminal cases. 

Agents from the FBI and the Drug Enforcement Agency led the investigation, which included the Essex County Prosecutor's Office, Newark police and the Essex County Sheriff's Office.

On each of the charges of RICO conspiracy, conspiracy to distribute cocaine and using firearms during crimes of violence, Hamlet facings a maximum penalty of life in prison. Other individual charges carry prison terms of three years to a mandatory minimum of 25 years in prison. In all, he faces 10 counts in the 28-count indictment under which 14 individuals already have been charged.

The others arrested Thursday are Sean L. Scott, 45, Keon Bethea, 33, and Jamil Harrison, 32, all of Newark. 

In initial appearances before U.S. Magistrate Judge James B. Clark, all four were held pending bail hearings.

Hamlet, wearing a red sweat suit, smiled at supporters in court at one point. As some started crying, Hamlet said, "I'm okay."

Bethea and Harrison, charged with one count of distributing cocaine, face a mandatory minimum of five years and a maximum of 40 years in prison, as well as a fine of up to $5 million, if convicted. Harrison, who has a criminal record, could face additional penalties as well. 

Scott, charged with one count of distributing heroin, faces a maximum sentence of 20 years and a maximum fine of $1 million if convicted. He also could face stiffer sentencing because of his criminal record. 

 

Tim Darragh may be reached at tdarragh@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @timdarragh. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Hundreds of families lined up outside City Hall in 2015 for a chance at a $1,000 property

NEWARK - Hopeful prospective owners will not be feeling the love from Newark this year, as the city will not revive a Valentine's Day program that put 100 vacant lots on the market for just $1,000 each.

Sources in City Hall said the sale, which made national headlines in 2015, will not be held, though officials have not ruled out making similar offerings in the future.

$1,000 property sales, guarantee couples will build in Newark make for 'beautiful Valentine's Day'

An announcement aimed at boosting efforts to unload city-owned plots is planned for as early as next week, though no additional details were offered.

Hundreds of couples showed up last year in hopes of building on the vacant lots, located mostly in the city's south, central and west wards. The first 100 were awarded properties, and were expected to make a $500 down payment and an additional $500 at closing.

Construction is required to be complete within 18 months of closing, and the couples would have to live in the home full-time for 5 years, or face potential fines or repossession.

NJ Advance Media has requested updates on each of the properties sold in 2015, and the city is expected to reveal how many buyers were able to close or begin building in the coming days.

Why doesn't Uber do proper background screenings that includes fingerprinting? Taxi and limousine drivers go through this simple process. Why not Uber? Watch video

By Lionel A. Leach 

"Why does Uber hire criminals to drive their customers around?" Sound like a loaded question? Not really.

Consider that Uber, Lyft and other app-based transportation companies knowingly operate illegally in New Jersey; and these companies refuse to do proper background checks, including fingerprints, on their applicants. 

When you factor those two elements together, you quickly realize these companies care less about the law and put profits ahead of passenger safety.

Sound farfetched? Consider this, San Francisco did a recent roundup of Uber drivers. Officials there were disturbed to find convicted sex offenders, identity thieves, burglars, kidnappers and murderers all within the Uber ranks. The district attorneys filing the complaint against Uber wrote Uber's "false and misleading statements are so woven into the fabric of Uber's safety narrative that they render Uber's entire safety message misleading."

So why doesn't Uber do proper background screenings that includes fingerprinting? Taxi and limousine drivers go through this simple process. Why not Uber?

The obvious answer is money. Uber's entire business model is based on registering as many drivers as possible so they can grow their revenue stream.  If the only thing a person has to do is sit on a couch and take pictures of their documents to become a driver, then you should expect all kinds of people to sign up.

In Houston, Texas, following an Uber driver's assault on a female passenger, officials discovered that Uber's background check failed and a criminal that was on probation was able to slip through the cracks.

"Not all background checks are created equal," said Lara Cottingham, deputy assistant director to the city of Houston's administration and regulatory affairs department. "It's easy to lie about your name, it's easy to lie about your Social Security number, it's easy to lie about where you've lived. Your fingerprints are tied to you." 

Houston now requires Uber and related drivers to go through the simple process of providing fingerprints as part of a routine background check -- because fingerprints don't lie.

In pursuit of profits, Uber and others spend millions fighting the requirement of performing thorough background checks. They argue that their checks are "sufficient" and that they meet "industry standards." Uber even threatens to leave an area if they are required to do fingerprint checks.

For example, when New York City required that app-based transportation companies meet the same safety standards as taxis, Uber vehemently opposed the measure. They threatened lawsuits. They funded high-priced public relations campaigns. And yes, Uber stomped their feet and threatened to leave.  

However, when NYC officials stood their ground and put passenger safety ahead of company profits, Uber eventually complied.

Why? Because Uber knows they can make good money by going through the proper process. Now, passengers in NYC have a real choice.  Uber, Lyft and taxis all follow the same rules and the paying public is benefitting from the competition.

So why not New Jersey?  If it's good enough for New Yorkers, why not us?  Why the double standard?

Fortunately, some mayors are standing up to these billion-dollar companies and are cracking down on the illegal operations. 

In Newark, where hundreds of tickets have been issued to Uber drivers, Mayor Ras Baraka's administration issued a stark warning to Uber stating that, effective Feb. 22, Uber cars will be towed and additional violations will result in civil and criminal penalties. 

Cities including Camden, West Windsor, Atlantic City and others have promised similar measures and have indicated their support for a state-wide solution to these illegal activities.

To that end, legislation has been introduced in New Jersey that would legalize Uber and level the playing field between app-based transportation companies and taxis and limousines. Yet Uber is fighting these proposals.

Why? And why would a New Jersey legislator not want these types of background checks conducted knowing that they are currently being administered on taxi and limousine drivers here in New Jersey and on Uber drivers in NYC? 

Would these same lawmakers allow gun dealers to conduct their own background checks? Is, "Don't worry about it. You can trust us," a sufficient response from a gun dealer? No, and it shouldn't be for Uber either.

The time to level the playing field is now and every day that goes by that Uber signs up another driver without conducting a proper background check is another slap in the face of the residents of New Jersey.

Please reach out to your legislator and ask that they support state Assembly bill A-609 and state Senate bill S-858. Tell them your safety is more valuable than profits.

Lionel A. Leach is the President of CWA, Local 1039, the parent organization of the United Transportation Alliance of New Jersey. 

Follow NJ.com Opinion on Twitter@NJ_Opinion. Find NJ.com Opinion on Facebook.

Newark Mayor Ras Baraka declined to comment on the arrest of the notorious gang leader he tried to help find a job in 2010.

(file photo)

NEWARK -- Mayor Ras Baraka on Thursday declined to comment on the arrest of Cory "C-Blaze" Hamlet, one of several alleged gang leaders he attempted to help in the years following the 2004 gang truce they helped broker.

Federal agents on Thursday arrested Hamlet and three other alleged Grape Street Crips, a gang authorities say controls much of the heroin trade in northern New Jersey.

Hamlet, 39, of Belleville is now facing an indictment for conspiracy linking him to four homicides, three attempted homicides and a host of drug-related charges, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman said Thursday.

In 2010, Baraka, then a member of the municipal council representing the city's South Ward, wrote a letter to Hamlet's then parole officer saying he wanted to help the man find employment after his release from prison on federal drug trafficking charges.

Through a spokeswoman, Baraka declined to comment on both the letter and Hamlet's arrest, citing the ongoing legal proceedings against the alleged gang leader.

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2015/05/feds_announce_major_takedown_of_newark_drug_gang.html

Hamlet, who sources said played a significant role in negotiating the 2004 gang truce between rival factions of the city's Bloods and Crips street gangs, pleaded guilty to multiple drug and weapons charges in separate cases in 1997 and 2000. In 2007, he was convicted on federal drug distribution charges.

The letters sent on behalf of Hamlet and other gang figures were not intended to help them avoid punishment for a crime, Baraka said after the letters surfaced in 2013.

"If they do a crime, they're gonna be arrested and they should be. But I don't think that should impede us from trying to continue to do the work that we've been doing in the community," Baraka said. "If somebody has helped us try to bring people together and they ask me to write a letter, then I will."

Staff Reporter Tim Darragh contributed to this report.

Vernal Coleman can be reached at vcoleman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @vernalcoleman. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

A disaster declaration would enable the state to receive federal aid Watch video

WASHINGTON -- Gov. Chris Christie on Thursday sought federal disaster aid for the 17 New Jersey counties hit by last month's winter storm.

Christie asked President Barack Obama for a disaster declaration, which would make the state eligible for federal funds to cover costs incurred in responding to the storm.

The storm brought up to 30 inches of snow, plus high winds and flooding, and cut power to around 270,000 homes. Christie said the counties in question suffered around $82.6 million in damages.

Christie cut short a presidential campaign trip to New Hampshire to return to New Jersey but quickly went back to the first primary state once the storm passed.

"This incident is of such severity and magnitude that an effective response is beyond the capabilities of the state and the affected county and local governments, and that federal assistance is necessary," Christie said in his announcement.

High tides caused coastal flooding in the southern part of the state, contributing to beach erosion and damaging dunes. 

State Sen. Jeff Van Drew (D-Cape May), who asked Christie to request disaster aid as soon as the storm ended, praised the governor's action.

"I truly appreciate the governor taking the action necessary to reduce the financial burden on our communities," Van Drew said. "We hope the federal government acts swiftly to approve a disaster declaration."

Christie said he was seeking a disaster declaration for Atlantic, Bergen, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Essex, Hudson, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, Somerset, Union, and Warren counties.

He also sought federal funds to help cover the costs of removing and dumping the snow and salting and sanding roads in Bergen, Burlington, Camden, Essex, Hudson, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, Somerset, Union, and Warren counties.

Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook 

A lot has happened in New Jersey this past week. Do you recall it all?

Sick of winter weather, Super Bowl 50's aftermath and Bernie vs. Hillary? That's awesome, because none of those topics are in this week's NJ.com news quiz. Actually, the presidential election does make a teensy appearance, but it's just one question of the seven below and no current presidential candidates are involved. Oops, I think that was just a spoiler alert. Anyway, once you finish the quiz, share your score in comments to see how you stack up with other NJ.com users. And as always, no Googling.

There's a fresh local news quiz each Thursday evening on NJ.com.

Ibtihaj Muhammad of Maplewood qualified for the USA Olympic fencing team and she is believed to be the first American Muslim woman to compete in the games wearing a hijab, the scarf that covers her head.

Ibtihaj Muhammad and her family were taking pictures with the fencing trophy she won for a third place finish.

In that moment, it never occurred to her that the win had secured her a spot on the USA Olympic fencing team during the recent qualifier in Athens, Greece.

"I honestly didn't think about it," Muhammad said.

It wasn't until she returned home to Maplewood that she realized something was up. Her cellphone was buzzing with congratulatory text messages. Her Facebook and Twitter pages were filling up with posts, too.

MORE: Recent Barry Carter columns 

The magnitude of her accomplishment sank in when she read the USA Fencing website. Muhammad, 30, was going to Rio de Janiero - as a top-flight sabre fencer  and she was making history: She is believed to be the first American Muslim woman to compete in the Olympic games wearing a hijab, the head scarf that covers hear hair.

"I feel like it is groundbreaking and I'm really proud to be that person who can be the first, but also provide an image for other minorities to envision themselves in elite sports," Muhammad said.

This nearly happened four years ago, but Muhammad didn't make the cut. However, not making the team didn't shake her confidence.

She had already surprised the fencing world in 2009, wining the U.S. national title. A year before that, she won a bronze medal in the Pan American championships to earn her place on the U.S. women's national team. Heading into the Olympic qualifier for the 2012 games, Muhammad was ranked No. 2 in the United States and 13^th in the world.

The experience motivated her to try again, but she was philosophical in  thinking about why she hadn't earned a spot on that team.

"I feel like things that are meant for you are never going to miss you,'' Muhammad said. "That wasn't my Olympic team to make."

This one is.

Muhammad upped her game for the international stage and will compete in team and  individual events. She's ranked No. 2 again in the country, and her world status has improved to No. 7.

"It's surreal that all of that hard work and all of that dreaming finally came to fruition,'' she said.

Agility drills, cross training and breaking down her matches on video were key. She got stronger, faster and more competitive than she has ever been, representing the Peter Westbrook Foundation in New York City and training out of the Fencers Club in New York City.

"She kept getting better and better," said her coach, Akhnaten Spencer-El. "There was absolutely no doubt in my mind that she would be on this team."

The last four years have blown by as fast as Muhammad can strike an opponent on the fencing strip, the space in which  fencers duel.

Often described as "physical chess,'' Muhammad said fencing is cerebral and tactical, a cat-and-mouse game she enjoys as she tries to outsmart her opponents.

MORE CARTER: Young Newark boxer is ready to be an Olympic champion

"You almost want to make them believe that you're doing something and you have an alternative plan."

Muhammad had no plan B this time. From behind her fencing mask, she only saw Plan A -the Olympics.

"I felt like she could do it,'' said her father, Shamsiddin Muhammad, a retired Newark cop. "Me and my wife told her, 'Whatever your decision is, we're going to back you.'"

Her mother, Inayah Muhhammad, travels with the team for support when she can, providing the calming arc in an emotionally charged sport.

"They work so hard for this," Inayah Muhammad  said. "They put so much on the line. The ultimate is to make that team and win a medal."

Muhammad's parents have been in her corner, as they have been for their other four children. They're an athletic family, with younger sister, Faizah, following her lead.

The 24-year-old is a saber fencer ranked sixth in the country. If she drops to No. 4, Muhammad said her sister is Rio-bound, too.

"She's been fencing the best that I've ever seen her fence, " Muhammad said.

Both got into fencing at Columbia High School in Maplewood and they even coached the team, with big sister as head coach and little sister as the assistant.  

Fencing-a sport where there are very few people of color - has taken Muhammad, a Duke University graduate, over all over the world.

She's talked to young people who know her story and she received a shout-out last week from President Obama at the Islamic Society of Baltimore. 

Now, how cool is that?

It's very cool, given the anti-Islamic climate percolating in the country.

"We're living in a time where bigotry and hate made their way back on the political scene,"  Muhammad said, "and its becoming a norm for people to verbalize their dislike or distrust of minorities, whether that be immigrants or religious minorities like Muslims.''

This young woman, however, is all about progress and empowerment. She even started a clothing line, Louella, which features modest fashions for women.

And then it's back to fencing, and not losing sight of what's important this time around.

Ibtihaj Muhammad is enjoying this Olympic ride. We all should, too.

Barry Carter: (973) 836-4925 or bcarter@starledger or nj.com/carter or follow him on Twitter @BarryCarterSL

Cleo walks well on a leash and would do best as an only-pet.

Cleo 

NEWARK -- Cleo is a 3-year-old female pit bull terrier at the Associated Humane Societies-Newark shelter.

Workers say it is clear she was used for breeding and then abandoned; they describe Cleo as "super affectionate."

She walks well on a leash and would do best as an only-pet.

Cleo has been spayed and is up-to-date on shots.

To meet Cleo and other adoptable pets, visit the shelter at 124 Evergreen Ave. in Newark. Shelter hours are noon to 5 p.m. seven days a week.

For more information, go to ahscares.org.

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 The Star-Ledger on Facebook.

 

West Orange resident stole PIN codes and magnetic data using the electronic device

A New Jersey man who was part of a crew who placed skimming devices on automatic teller machines in New Mexico was sentenced Thursday to 18 months in prison.

A skimming device that was placed on an ATM at a New Jersey bank is seen in a file photo.File photo 

Michael Silva, 25, of West Orange took part in a scheme that stole account information from bank customers in three counties in New Mexico during March and April 2015, the U.S. Attorney's Office there said in a news release.

Silva and his cohorts than used the PIN codes and magnetic data to make new ATM cards. On at least one occasion Silva used a fraudulent card to withdraw $600 from a an ATM machine in Albuquerque. 

Originally indicted on a 15-count charge, Silva pleaded guilty to two counts of access device fraud on Nov. 12, 2015. He was arrested on Sept. 11 of last year.

Silva will also be subject to three years of supervised release after finishing his prison term.

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

Marylin Zuniga was fired in May for allowing her third-grade students to write "get well" letters to Mumia Abu-Jamal Watch video

NEWARK -- A Superior Court judge has rejected a motion by Orange school officials to dismiss the complaint against them from a former teacher who was fired for allowing her third-grade students to write "get well" letters to a convicted cop killer.

Judge Stephanie A. Mitterhoff ruled Marylin Zuniga may continue pursuing her lawsuit over claims that Orange school board members violated the state's Open Public Meetings Act when they voted at a public meeting in May to terminate her non-tenured employment.

Since board members did not discuss the matter amongst themselves or with members of the public before casting their votes, Zuniga has alleged they violated the Act by discussing her case privately before the public meeting. Zuniga had requested that the matter be discussed publicly.

While Zuniga has said in court documents that she has no direct evidence of such private discussions, Mitterhoff indicated in her Jan. 22 written decision that Zuniga will be allowed to obtain evidence to prove that those alleged talks occurred.

"In viewing Plaintiff's complaint in a 'generous and hospitable approach,' as is required on a motion to dismiss, and giving the Plaintiff the benefit of all reasonable inferences, the court concludes that Plaintiff has sufficiently stated a claim for which relief may be granted," Mitterhoff wrote. "Accordingly, the Board's motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim is denied."

Zuniga and Orange resident Fakhair Spence are the plaintiffs in the lawsuit, and the school board and the city are named as the defendants. Through the lawsuit, Zuniga is seeking to have the board's termination decision declared invalid.

Ronald Hunt, an attorney representing the school board in the lawsuit, has previously rejected the allegation about a private meeting by board members.

"I have no proof or evidence that that occurred," Hunt said in November. "They can make whatever allegations they want."

Before the board voted to terminate Zuniga's employment, Hunt said a private meeting was held in an attempt to resolve the matter. Attendees at that meeting included the superintendent, the board attorney, Zuniga and her representatives, but no board members were present, according to Hunt.

As part of their motion, school board members have said they properly voted to terminate Zuniga's employment and argued they were not required to engage in a public dialogue before casting their votes.

"The mere fact that the Board after listening to the Plaintiff and her supporters had no dialogue before voting, denied her nothing," according to a brief filed with the court by the school board's attorneys in support of the motion.

Hunt could not be immediately reached for comment on Friday.

In a statement on Friday, Jeena Shah, one of the attorneys representing Zuniga and Spence in the lawsuit, said that by Mitterhoff denying the motion to dismiss the complaint, "the Court recognized that by voting to terminate Ms. Zuniga without any public discussion on the matter, the board may have violated NJ's Sunshine law."

"Now that the case can move forward, Ms. Zuniga and the community in Orange will have an opportunity to learn what truly motivated the school board to terminate an exceptional teacher and whether they actually had the children's best interests at heart," Shah added.

The legal battle stems from how Zuniga allegedly permitted her students in April to write "get well" letters to Mumia Abu-Jamal. Formerly on death row, Abu-Jamal is serving a life sentence for killing Philadelphia police officer Daniel Faulkner in 1981.

Zuniga began working at Forest Street Elementary School in September 2014, representing her first teaching job since receiving a master's degree at Columbia University.

According to Zuniga, she presented her students with an assignment in February 2015 to consider the main idea of the following quote from Abu-Jamal: "So long as one just person is silenced, there is no justice."

Zuniga has said she allowed the students to write the letters after she told them about Abu-Jamal's failing health in April and they said they would like to write "get well" letters to him.

After learning about the students' letters through news reports, school officials suspended Zuniga with pay on April 10. At the time, officials said they had no prior knowledge about the letters, and said Zuniga did not seek prior approval or notify parents about this "unauthorized activity."

Following her suspension, Zuniga told school officials she wanted a public discussion about her case, according to the lawsuit.

Zuniga and her supporters later addressed board members at two board meetings, but board members did not publicly discuss her employment status at either meeting, the lawsuit states. Spence attended both meetings, the lawsuit states.

After hearing from Zuniga and others at the first meeting on April 14, board members met in closed session for about 40 minutes. When board members returned to the public meeting, then-school board attorney Melvin Randall said the matter would be tabled.

At the second meeting on May 12, Zuniga addressed the board, followed by members of the public who mostly spoke in her favor.

Soon after the public comments were finished after midnight on May 13, board members unanimously approved a personnel agenda and abruptly adjourned the meeting without discussing or explaining what they just voted on.

After being contacted by a reporter, Orange Superintendent Ronald Lee confirmed later that day in an email that the board had voted to terminate Zuniga's employment as part of the personnel agenda.

In a May 13 letter to Zuniga, Lee said the board voted to terminate her employment due to her "non-compliance" with board policies and "your unprofessional conduct." The letter indicated Zuniga would remain suspended with pay until June 11, when her termination would take effect.

The letter was one of the exhibits filed along with the board's motion.

Bill Wichert may be reached at bwichert@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @BillWichertNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Both are in their first year of eligibility.

Allen Iverson and Newark native Shaquille O'Neal headline the list of 14 finalists for the Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2016, which was announced on Friday. 

Iverson led the Sixers to six playoff appearances after being chosen with the No. 1 overall pick in the 1996 NBA Draft, including winning the MVP award in 2001 en-route to an Eastern Conference championship. 

Thank you to all my fans for your support throughout my career. I'm honored to be a finalist for the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.

-- Allen Iverson (@alleniverson) February 12, 2016

A pop culture icon, Iverson influenced a generation of basketball players and ranks 23rd in NBA history with 24,368 points. Iverson was selected for 11 all-star games, taking home the MVP in the 2001 NBA All-Star Game. Averaging 26.7 points per game during his 14-year career, despite his generously listed 6-foot, 165 pound frame, Iverson was fearless about attacking the rim and developed a reputation as one of the game's most ferocious competitors.

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Meanwhile, O'Neal hopes to enter the Hall of Fame after becoming one of the most dominant big men of his generation, winning four NBA championships, including three in a row with the Los Angeles Lakers from 2000-2002 (he was named NBA Finals MVP for all three of those Lakers championships). 

O'Neal's trophy case reads like the exhibit at a museum: MVP (1999-2000), three-time Finals MVP, 15-time All-Star, 14-time All-NBA selection, three-time All-Defense selection, and Rookie of the Year (1992-93) after averaging 23.7 points, 10.9 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per tame throughout his 19-year career. 

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According to ESPN Stats & Info, O'Neil and Michael Jordan are the only players in NBA history to win MVP in three straight seasons and O'Neal is the only player in NBA history to score at least 30 points in every game of multiple NBA Finals series', doing so in 2000 and 20002. 

Below is the full list of finalists for the Hall of Fame Class of 2016. Inductees will be announced on April 4 at the NCAA Final Four in Houston. 

• Leta Andrews (high school coach)
• "Lefty" Driesell (won 100 games at four different schools)
• Darell Garretson (referee)
• Robert Hughes (high school coach)
• Allen Iverson (2001 NBA MVP)
• Tom Izzo (won 2000 NCAA Title with Michigan State)
• Kevin Johnson (three-time NBA All-Star)
• Muffet McGraw (won 2001 NCAA Title with Notre Dame)
• John McLendon (won 3 straight NAIA Titles from 1957-59)
• Shaquille O'Neal (three-time NBA Finals MVP)
• Bo Ryan (2 NCAA Final Four appearances - 2014, 2015)
• Eddie Sutton (four-time National Coach of the Year)
• Sheryl Swoopes (three-time WNBA MVP)
• 1954-58 Wayland Baptist University team (won 131 straight games)

[?] @alleniverson, @KJ_MayorJohnson, #Shaq & @YaoMing among those named finalists for the 2016 @Hoophall! #NBAvine https://t.co/b2lYFWN8xs

-- NBA (@NBA) February 12, 2016

Matt Lombardo may be reached at MDLombardo@yahoo.com. Follow him on Twitter @MattLombardo975. Find NJ.com Eagles on Facebook.

Preye Roberts, 29, of Nutley, is pursuing a "diminished capacity" defense to attempted murder and related charges in connection with the 2010 shooting

NEWARK -- At Preye Roberts's upcoming trial for shooting an off-duty Fairfield police officer in 2010, prosecutors may present evidence that he was later firing the same weapon outside a liquor store in Union County, a judge has ruled.

Superior Court Judge Ronald Wigler handed down that ruling on Tuesday, about a month before the attorneys are scheduled to begin jury selection in the long-running case on March 8.

Roberts, 29, of Nutley, is facing attempted murder and weapons charges in connection with the Jan. 30, 2010 shooting of Officer Gerald Veneziano.

Roberts is accused of following Veneziano as the officer was driving his personal car on his way to work. After the two cars pulled into a parking lot near the Fairfield police headquarters, Roberts allegedly shot Veneziano multiple times.

Two weeks later, Roberts was arrested for allegedly firing a gun outside a Route 22 liquor store in Union Township. Authorities later determined that weapon was the same one used in the shooting of Veneziano.

During Tuesday's hearing, Roberts's attorney, Joseph Krakora, said his client admits shooting Veneziano, according to an audio recording of the hearing.

But the defense is preparing to argue during the trial that Roberts - who has a history of mental illness - suffers from "diminished capacity," meaning he had a mental defect or deficiency and did not form the intent needed to be convicted of certain offenses, according to Krakora.

Wigler previously ruled that Roberts is competent to stand trial.

As for the Union Township incident, Wigler on Tuesday said the state may admit evidence at the trial in regard to the recovery of various items, including the gun, shell casings, ammunition, and a rental car receipt.

That receipt allegedly helps show Roberts rented a car that matches the shooter's vehicle described by Veneziano.

In response to the "diminished capacity" defense, Essex County Assistant Prosecutor Romesh Sukhdeo, who is handing the case, had sought to introduce evidence that Roberts shot a Cadillac he was trying to enter outside the liquor store and that he shot a nearby surveillance camera. Sukhdeo suggested Roberts was trying to avoid detection by shooting the camera.

"He was actively trying to cover up criminal conduct," Sukhdeo told Wigler, according to the recording.

The judge, however, said prosecutors could not present evidence that Roberts allegedly shot the car and the camera, because such evidence would be irrelevant and prejudicial to Roberts. As for the state's claim that Roberts was trying to conceal his identity by shooting the camera, "that really requires speculation," Wigler said.

But Wigler suggested Sukhdeo may be able to address those issues in his cross-examination of a defense expert, who is expected to testify about Roberts's "diminished capacity."

"This information may end up coming out through cross-examination," Wigler said.

Bill Wichert may be reached at bwichert@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @BillWichertNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Consumers may qualify for cash, rebate for a future purchase and coverage for repair costs on certain Frigidaire and Electrolux models.

One of the refrigerators with the ice maker in question. (Photo courtesy of Nagel Rice law firm.)
 

NEWARK -- Legal complaints originally involving two New Jersey families over allegedly defective refrigerator ice makers have resulted in a nationwide settlement that could grant $100, a discount for a new appliance and refunds for repairs for others who bought similar models.  

The settlement with Electrolux, based in Charlotte, N.C., ends the legal case against the appliance maker that door-mounted ice makers broke down, leaked, and caused damages and lost food. 

"We were very pleased" the company agreed to the settlement "in view of the fact that the product did not work," said Bruce Nagel, the Roseland attorney who was the lead counsel of the class action.

Electrolux, in a prepared statement, said it admitted no wrongdoing in the settlement and denied that the product was defective.

To qualify for a share in the settlement, owners had to have purchased certain refrigerators under the brand names Frigidaire, Electrolux and Crosley between 2008-2011.

The refrigerators had two French-style doors above a pull-out freezer. The ice maker was installed on one door and designed to make cylindrical ice cubes. The ice maker was identified as a Gen 1 model.

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The refrigerators sold for $1,900-$3,000, Nagel said, saying about 110,000 were sold. The product has been discontinued, he added. 

According to the original complaints, the ice makers failed less than a year after purchase. They leaked, causing further damage to the refrigerator and forcing the families to throw out more than $500 in spoiled food.

Their complaints were joined in New Jersey federal court with other consumers' complaints from around the country, leading to the settlement Wednesday.

In its statement, Electrolux North America said it wanted to end the litigation.

"We have agreed to settle this lawsuit so that we may put this matter behind us," the statement said. "Though we were prepared to take this matter to trial and believed we would prevail, we concluded that this settlement provides a reasonable opportunity to avoid continued litigation costs."

Consumers who qualify for a share of the settlement will be paid $100 and will get an offer for a $100 rebate on a future Electrolux or Frigidaire appliance purchase. 

Consumers who registered their refrigerator after purchasing it should have gotten notice of the settlement, Nagel said. 

Those who did not register, or who are looking for more information and a claim form, can go to www.icemakersettlement.com.

Tim Darragh may be reached at tdarragh@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @timdarragh. Find NJ.com on Facebook.