Nurses at St. Mary’s Hospital in Passaic agree to concessions

Unionized employees at St. Mary’s Hospital in Passaic have tentatively agreed to a new contract that extends pay cuts and other concessions until the hospital begins to recover financially.

More than 500 nurses, technicians and other workers ratified a three-year contract, which goes into effect when the current contract expires on Feb. 28. The new pact continues court-assigned concessions until St. Mary’s reorganization plan is approved, at which time the nurses expect the hospital to begin restoring their pay in increments.

The employees have worked with a 5 percent pay cut — later reduced to a 4 percent cut by the hospital — and other concessions since March, when St. Mary’s declared bankruptcy, citing debts of $100 million.

Attorneys for the non-profit, 292-bed acute-care hospital filed a reorganization plan this month with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Newark and have until Jan. 6 for creditors to accept the plan.

The unions and St. Mary’s, who have been negotiating for months with an independent mediator, were pleased with the settlement.

“We had a mutually agreed upon mediator, who made compromise recommendations that turned out to be fairly reasonable,” said Virginia Tracy, executive director of JNESO, the union that represents 357 nurses and 131 technicians at St. Mary’s.

“It’s not ideal, but it gives them a chance to get back on their feet and us to get back what we lost,” Tracy said.

Another union, Operating Engineers Local 68, represents 20 licensed boiler room workers and other employees.

“Having the support of [the] unions, whose contracts were fully ratified this month, is an important step forward for the hospital,” Vanessa Warner, a spokeswoman for St. Mary’s, said in a statement Friday.

As part of the agreement, St. Mary’s will restore 2 percent of the workers’ wages when the court approves the reorganization plan; then 1 percent more in March, and another 1 percent in June, Tracy said. The hospital would also resume the employees’ annual “step” raise, an average 40 cents per hour increase, she said.

The hospital will not reinstate a paid half-hour lunch for employees, she said. But it will pay time-and-a-half to a 12-hour shift worker who is not relieved by another worker in order to eat, she said.

“The difference between now and when the hospital filed for bankruptcy is that we’re hopeful for the first time in a long time that progress can be made,” Tracy said.

The union was concerned that the hospital would reject its contract altogether if it didn’t agree to temporarily continue the concessions, Tracy said. “If they’re going to make it, they need cash and a few months to get a leg up to be successful,” she said.

“The employees are definitely going to cast their lot with management. The new administration has made some positive changes that we can see,” Tracy said. A new president and new chief financial officer took over St. Mary’s last summer.

A recent report by the court-appointed patient care ombudsman agreed.

“There are no issues at this time with regard to maintaining quality of care provided by St. Mary’s Hospital,” the ombudsman, Daniel T. McMurray, said in court documents.

A hearing on the sale of St. Mary’s former hospital site at 211 Pennington Ave. will be held on Dec. 8.

On Dec. 9, St. Mary’s will hold a public meeting to discuss hospital finances, future plans, services and community benefit programs. It will begin at 5:30 p.m. at the hospital, located at 350 Boulevard.

A hearing on the hospital’s Chapter 11 disclosure statement will be held Dec. 18.

The 114-year old St. Mary’s is the sole survivor of Passaic’s three hospitals.

E-mail: groves@northjersey.com

Honorable Cory A. Booker, Mayor, City of Newark, New Jersey Addressing: “The Future of Black-Jewish Relations”

Don’t miss it! A huge crowd is expected so please come early!! On Sunday, November 22, 2009, at 7:30 PM, Rinat Yisrael presents:
Honorable Cory A. Booker, Mayor, City of Newark, New Jersey
Addressing: “The Future of Black-Jewish Relations”

Moderated by Gary Rosenblatt, Editor and Publisher of the New York Jewish Week.

Mayor Cory A. Booker is an electrifying speaker with a deep and longstanding connection to the Jewish people.
While at Oxford on a Rhodes Scholarship, Mayor Booker served as the
President of the L’Chaim Society, the local chapter of Chabad, and brought together a diverse community there. He became Mayor of New Jersey’s largest city in 2006. Elected with a clear mandate for change, his administration has been working to realize a positive vision for the city – that of setting a national standard for urban transformation by marshaling resources to achieve security, economic abundance and an environment that is nurturing and empowering for individuals and families. Mayor Booker has been cited by
publications like Time, Esquire and the NY Times as a national leader with innovative ideas and bold actions.
Mayor Booker received his B.A. and M.A. from Stanford University, as well as a B.A. in Modern History at Oxford and a law degree from Yale.

The public is invited.

For more info contact djacobow@gmail.com

Car skids into Clifton home; homeowner, dog escape uninjured

CLIFTON — A car drove off the road and into an Athenia Avenue home early this morning, seriously injuring the driver and startling the home owner awake, authorities said.

The Buick sedan was driving from Clifton Avenue along a curved section of Van Houten Avenue when it skidded off the road just after 5:30 a.m. The car struck a street sign and drove into a porch and dining room of the house, which is several feet from the street.

The male driver, who was not identified, had serious but not life-threatening injuries and was taken to St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center in Paterson, said Clifton Fire Department Deputy Chief George Spies. The woman and a dog in the home at the time escaped uninjured.

“It was loud,” said the woman, who did not want to be identified. “The house shook. (The driver) just said, ‘Help me.’”

The home could be unlivable for more than a week because the car took out an entire wall of the dining room.

(News Source: NorthJersey.com)

Breaking News:::: Major Gas Main Was Just Busted

Passaic N.J. Major gas main was just busted by a construction company at the corner of Main Avenue and Highland Avenue. The gas leak is reported in the new school. Multiple agencies are responding at this time. Passaic Fire is requesting P.S.E & G on a rush. Main Avenue is being blocked off by the Passaic Police at this time expect major delays in the area. Homes are being evacuated in the area.

Update– 2:45 Passaic Fire evacuating all Highland Avenue residents in the area. Clifton Police requested to block off Main Avenue in Clifton.

Update–2:49 Passaic Fire loads the fire hoses as a precautionary measure. Additional Fire trucks arrive on scene to help with evacuations. Construction company is shutting down all of their generators in the area.

Update–2:50 P.S.E & G representative on location at this time, P.S.E & G rep awaiting the gas shut off team.

Update–2:55 Passaic Police reaching out to the Passaic County Sheriff Department for more officers to block off streets in the area.

Update–2:57 P.S.E & G Gas shut off team on location and attempting to shut off the gas main on Main Avenue and Highland.

Update–3:09 As per Passaic Police and Passaic Fire all units will be leaving the scene within 15 minutes. P.S.E & G shut off the gas at this time.

P.B.J.N Staff on behalf of the residents of the City Of Passaic would like to thank the Passaic Police department and the Passaic Fire department for keeping us safe and protected.

P.B.J.N Exclusive Report

GOVERNOR CORZINE AND DEMOCRATIC LEADERSHIP FAILED NEW JERSEY HOSPITALS

The Corzine administration and Democrat leadership that claim to care for New Jersey health care system has failed New Jersey hospitals.

A total of 15 acute-care hospitals have closed around the state since 1997, including 11 in the northeastern counties of Bergen, Essex, Hudson and Passaic, according to the New Jersey Hospital Association.  Among the most recent are Barnert Hospital in Paterson, Pascack Valley in Westwood and Union Hospital. We have witnessed dramatic fall of Passaic hospitals with the last of the three in bankruptcy proceedings this year.

All of this happened under years of Democrat rule in New Jersey.

The Kaiser Family Foundation, a national foundation committed to sound health policy, ranks New Jersey 50th — second lowest in the nation — in terms of healthcare expenditures to hospitals. And Public Citizen, a national consumer watchdog group, ranked New Jersey’s Medicaid program 39th out of the 50 states, largely due to its poor reimbursement to providers. New Jersey, in fact, ranked dead last in reimbursement, according to the Public Citizen analysis. Other groups have witnessed New Jersey’s difficulties and responded. Standard & Poor’s, a major Wall Street ratings group, has downgraded the credit rating of many New Jersey hospitals and predicts that the state will experience additional hospital closures due to its harsh marketplace.

Major problem causing hospital closing is not enough funding for charity care. Presently, all hospitals receive at least 50 cents back for every $1 of charity care they provide. Those “safety net” hospitals that serve most of New Jersey’s uninsured population must receive at least 96 cents to ensure their ability to continue serving patients. We estimate that at least 50 percent of the charity care is used by illegal aliens using the emergency rooms in our hospitals.

As a result the unfunded mandates on hospitals effectively ask them to provide uninsured individuals with the catastrophic health insurance they are free not to procure, at the expense of insured patients and, in the case of investor-owned hospitals, of shareholders as well.

In 1995, New Jersey had 112 acute care hospitals. As of 2008, there were 75 hospitals remaining with half of them losing money.

Cash for Clunkers helped sell 26,000 cars in New Jersey

The Cash for Clunkers program generated nearly 26,000 new car sales in New Jersey, giving auto dealers a much-needed boost and reaping $50 million in sales tax and motor vehicle fees for the state, according to industry data released today.

New Jersey ranked ninth out of 50 states participating in the two-month government program, with car buyer rebates totaling $103.4 million, according to the New Jersey Coalition of Automotive Retailers, which published the figures. Overall, dealers across the country sold more than 690,000 vehicles and claimed $2.88 billion in rebates during the program.

The program provided a lift for many of New Jersey’s 550 auto dealers, who have been struggling amid a severe downturn in the industry. New car sales had plunged 30 percent in the first half of the year, compared with the same period last year, the coalition said. Cash for Clunkers appeared to bring some relief in July and August, reflected by a less drastic sales decrease of 7.5 percent.

However, experts said the benefits from the program are just a Band-aid for the state’s auto industry, which has lost 20 percent of its dealerships over the last three years.

“It was much needed, much welcome, but not nearly enough to get the industry back to where it needs to be,” said Jim Appleton, president of the coalition.

Nevertheless, sales under the program exceeded expectations, he said. New Jersey usually ranks 15th the nation for monthly car sales, but aggressive marketing, combined with pent-up consumer demand, helped propel the state into the top 10 for Clunker sales, he said.

The most popular brand choices among local consumers were Hyundai, Toyota, Honda, General Motors and Ford, Appleton said. Luxury brands were little affected.

The federal program, which gave new car buyers $3,500 to $4,500 for trading in older gas guzzlers for newer, more fuel-efficient models, has not been without hiccups. After being introduced in early July, it became so wildly popular that the funds ran out in less than two months.

Some local dealers said they ran into headaches recouping the money from the government, with a few payments trickling in as late as a few weeks ago. Adam Kraushaar, president of Lester Glenn Auto Group, said he sold more than 500 cars through the program at his five dealerships, totaling about $2 million in rebates. Some of that money did not arrive until late September, he said, which created “some angst, sleepless nights and cash flow issues.”

But many car dealers said they are just hoping for a sequel to the Clunker program.

At Towne Hyundai in Denville, general manager Rene Cruz recalled how car buyers came rushing to his showroom. In all, he sold 230 cars under the program and claimed $800,000 in government rebates. It was a welcome boost, especially after a slow winter during which he sold on average 20 to 30 cars a month.

“It was total mayhem,” he said. “There was a line into the actual lot of the dealership.”

Now, he said, business has once again dropped off. “It was just a blessing. Now, it’s back to bad,” he said.

Laura Botsacos, vice president of James Toyota in Flemington, said her dealership sold 212 cars under the program, or about $896,000 in rebates. But what she enjoyed most, she said, was the brief escape from the gloom surrounding the industry.

“There were nights we were here well past midnight, there was a great energy in the store,” she said.

By Leslie Kwoh/The Star-Ledger

Emergency Centers In New Jersey Get More then $2 Million Despite Obama’s Request

More than $2 million for emergency centers in North Jersey and billions for grant programs that have helped the region in the past were in a nearly $43 billion homeland security spending bill the Senate sent to President Obama on Tuesday.

Obama’s expected to sign it, even though Congress ignored his recommendation to eliminate some programs too steeped in politics. Here’s a look at the bill:

WHO’S GETTING MONEY: $60 million is provided for grants around the country to local emergency centers where public safety and civilian leaders coordinate responses to emergencies such as storms or man-made disasters. More than $5.3 million is earmarked for specific areas in New Jersey, including:

* $300,000 toward a $1.3 million emergency center Hackensack wants to build on its former pistol range in Johnson Park. City Manager Steve Lo Iacono said the city is raising money from other sources as well, but needs approvals from the state because some of the land has been preserved through the Green Acres program.

* $250,000 for Passaic County to renovate its emergency center, increase security and upgrade technology.

* $1 million for the Morris County emergency center.

* $500,000 for the North Hudson Fire and Rescue emergency center.

REJECTING OBAMA: Obama recommended in May that emergency center grants be eliminated because 60 percent of the $35 million appropriated this year was earmarked by Congress to specific places, rather than awarded where the risk was greatest. Rather that cut, Congress increased the program to $60 million, and earmarked 80 percent.

BUSES AND TRUCKS: Obama proposed eliminating security programs providing $12 million to bus companies and $8 million to trucking companies, saying federal grants were funding capital investments that private companies could make themselves. Congress did kill the truck program, but continued the bus program. New Jersey bus lines got $3.3 million in the last grant award.

SAFETY RESEARCH: The Transportation Security Administration gets $5 million to expand its explosives-detection research lab in Atlantic County. A California non-profit gets $1 million for training programs in five states, including New Jersey, on how to get different public safety communication systems to talk with each other.

REGIONAL GRANTS: Urban Area Security Grants were increased by $50 million, or 6 percent for next year. North Jersey got more than $35 million this year, which may increase. But port security grants were reduced by $100 million, or 25 percent. Obama had recommended a 37 percent cut.
(News Source: NorthJersey.com/Herb Jackson/PCJN)

Thirteen people arrested in N.J. illegal prescription drug ring

Authorities have arrested 13 people, including a West Orange doctor, in connection with an alleged narcotics network that illegally distributed prescription painkillers, officials said today.

Officials said a yearlong investigation revealed the defendants were obtaining fraudulent prescriptions and filling them at pharmacies in Hudson County, billing Medicaid and private insurers for the drugs, which included OxyContin and Percocet.

“These defendants ripped off Medicaid and sold dangerous narcotics on the street, peddling black market pain pills such as OxyContin,” Attorney General Anne Milgram said in a statement. “With these arrests, we have shut down their two-pronged criminal enterprise.”

During the operation, authorities seized more than $1 million in various bank accounts, $35,000 cash, fraudulent prescriptions and more than 1,000 pills.

Officials accused three men — Robert Silverman, 43, of Jersey City; Louis Lisi, 34, of Union City; and Brian Kelly, 48, of Hoboken — of leading the operation. All three were charged with drug distribution.

According to officials, Medicaid beneficiaries were paid by the leaders to receive fake prescriptions from two doctors: Clifton Howell, 53, of West Orange, and Magdy Elamir, 56, of North Saddle Brook. Both doctors were arrested and charged with drug distribution, health care claims fraud and Medicaid fraud.

The drugs then were obtained from Tucker Drugs in Hoboken and Five Corners Pharmacy in Jersey City. The pharmacists at both stores Babak Bamdad, 41, and Amir Tadros, 32, were arrested.

Another six people were accused distributing the drugs: Joseph Burkhardt, 50, of Jersey City; Michele J. Oliver, 41, of Wallington; John Bussanich, 23, of Cliffside Park; Danny Reed, 25, of Toms River; Marty Taraboccia, 25 of Fairview; and Jack Kennedy, 28, of Keyport.

Officials said the dealers sold 30 milligram OxyContin pills for $10 to $20. Ten milligram Percocet pills fetched $5 to $8.

They said more arrests are expected.

Legal representation for the defendants either could not be reached or determined today.
(News Source: NorthJersey.com/PCJN)

JTS students name Teaneck man ‘professor of the year’

Teaneck N.J- Jonathan Milgram, assistant professor of Talmud and Rabbinics at the Jewish Theological Seminary, says he has learned a great deal from watching the way his own children are learning at Ben Porat Yosef in Paramus.

“My teaching style has been very much affected by observing how wonderfully kids learn,” said the Teaneck resident, explaining the emphasis in the lower grades on varied and individualized instruction.

Not everyone absorbs information in the same way, he observed. “Watching how successfully [children] learn, I asked myself [as a college professor] how I would teach kids who study that way when they reached college age.”
image
Jonathan Milgram

His conclusion — to focus similarly on individualized instruction — has been greeted warmly by his JTS students. Milgram was elected professor of the year by the Albert A. List College of Jewish Studies of JTS for the 2008–2009 academic year.

The professor said he has tried to foster the intellectual growth of individual students even though his classes are fairly large. He also tries to make himself available to his students.

“I care deeply about the material and make sure they understand why Talmud is an essential discipline to study even in the 21st century,” he said, adding that such study is “also relevant to intellectual and spiritual growth.”

Passaic mayor ousts a top official

PASSAIC — Mayor Alex D. Blanco fired Jane Grubin, director of human services, late last week, in the biggest personnel move since he named a new business administration in June. And there may be more changes soon.

Sources with firsthand knowledge said Monday that the next employee on the chopping block is Planning Director Glenn Carter, who declined comment.

Grubin, who was appointed by former Mayor Sammy Rivera in 2001, was let go Friday. Business Administrator Anthony Iacono said Monday that there could be more restructuring. “Like all administrations, there are changes and that is our prerogative,” he said. “This is one of a few moves and other personnel moves are coming.” He declined to elaborate.

Attempts to reach Blanco were unsuccessful.

Iacono said that Grubin’s dismissal was not a political decision, even though Grubin’s husband, Simon Grubin, supported Blanco’s opponent, Vincent Capuana, in May’s mayoral election. Jane Grubin said she was proud of her work and both she and Iacono said her termination was unrelated to her performance.

“I serve at the pleasure of the mayor or at the whim of this mayor,” Grubin said. “It is their prerogative, that’s all. It wasn’t because I did a poor job. It had nothing to do with my job performance. I just hope they have someone from Passaic to fill that position and someone who cares about the people of Passaic.”

Grubin, who grew up in one of the city’s most prominent families, the Gurtmans, said her eight years in the job offered her a chance to give back to the community.

Her grandfather, Max Gurtman, owned a sheet company in Passaic, Max Gurtman and Son. He and the rest of the family contributed to local families and charities. Her father, Nathan, an architect, designed some of the city’s buildings, including the former Ginsburg’s Department Store on Madison and Lexington avenues, and the Ahavas Israel synagogue on Van Houten Avenue.

“Anything I can do is very important, because I have been blessed and this was the perfect way to give back to the community,” Grubin said. “These things are important. It wasn’t a job. I loved going to work every day.”

The Human Services Department is the fourth largest department in the city and oversees a wide range of programs that help city residents, from free HIV testing and food programs for children to running a health clinic.

Grubin, who made $77,000 this year, said one initiative of which she’s particularly proud was rehabilitating the city’s animal shelter, which was slated for closure by the state in 2003.

“I was able to get money to redo the shelter to become a state model for animal shelters,” she said.

Grubin thanked her staff, which numbers 55, for their work. She specifically cited those health professionals who developed a pandemic flu plan, after which the state modeled its program.

Grubin said she will remain active in the community, remaining as board chairwoman of the Mental Health Clinic of Passaicand continuing her work on the Jewish Family Service Board.

P.C.J.N would like to thank Jane Grubin for all she has done for our City and especially the Jewish community. We wish her all the best.

(News Source: NorthJersey.com/PCJN)

Solomon Dwek: Has his day in court

NEWARK — Solomon Dwek, the FBI witness at the center of this summer’s massive corruption sting, pleaded guilty today to the bank fraud charges that led to him becoming an undercover informant.

The 37-year-old failed real estate developer spent more than two years wearing a wire for federal investigators, leading to charges against 45 people in an epic web of alleged extortion and money laundering.
Robert Sciarrino/The Star-LedgerOfficial vehicles drive into the federal courthouse, where Solomon Dwek, the FBI witness at the center of this summer’s massive corruption sting, is expected to plead guilty to the bank fraud charges that led to him becoming an undercover informant.

Dwek, who pleaded guilty to the $50 million bank fraud that first brought him to the attention of federal authorities in 2006, entered courtroom smiling at 9:48 a.m. wearing gray suit, black yarmulke and light blue tie. He answered questions from U.S. District Judge Jose Linares in a soft voice.

“How do you wish to plead to the two counts set forth in the information, guilty or not guilty?” the judge asked.

“Guilty your honor,” Dwek said.

Later today, he is scheduled to appear in Superior Court in Monmouth County to plead to similar state charges.

O’Brien and Newark Mayor Cory Booker Make PeaceJ

NEWARK — Conan O’Brien and Newark Mayor Cory Booker turned their frivolous feud about the gritty city into comedy on NBC’s “Tonight Show” that ended in a plug for Booker and a $100,000 donation to his Newark Now charity from O’Brien and NBC. 

The chatty 40-somethings worked off one another like a comic duo on Friday’s show. But the jokes eventually gave way to a plug for Booker’s efforts to fashion a national blueprint for urban transformation in Newark, long an icon for urban decay, and the donation. 
Booker’s appearance on O’Brien’s show culminated a facetious feud that began Sept. 23 with O’Brien joking that Booker’s new health care program consisted of a bus ticket out of Newark, which is just west of New York City and is often scarred by violence. The mayor responded with a humorous video on YouTube in which he banned O’Brien from Newark Liberty International Airport.

“Many jokes are made about Newark by comedians,” O’Brien said on Friday’s show. “You honed in on me like a cruise missile. Why me, Mayor Booker?”
“When there’s a herd going after you, you have to sort of look at the weakest gazelle,” Booker joked.

The 15-minute segment, taped in California, confirmed Booker’s newfound status as a national figure in U.S. politics, said Robert Thompson, a Syracuse University professor of television and popular culture.
“They were like Abbott and Costello,” Thompson said. “Those two could go on the road.”
The symbiotic relationship comes at an ideal time for O’Brien, who took over as “Tonight” host in June, after Jay Leno’s 17 years on the job. The show averages about 2.6 million viewers a night with O’Brien, compared with more than 4.5 million for Leno, and has been trying to attract younger viewers.

Booker already is a darling of that demographic thanks to a new media pedigree that includes 839,000 followers on the Twitter online social network. His first response to O’Brien on the YouTube video file sharing site has been viewed more than 183,000 times.
Those numbers combined dwarf Newark’s 281,000 residents.

The 40-year-old Booker is one of the youngest elected leaders ever invited onto the iconic show, whose usual political fare consists of senators and former presidents. U.S. Sen. John McCain, who lost to Barack Obama in the November presidential election, was the last political guest in the studio.

Booker has become an entertainment media darling the past year with appearances on HBO’s “Real Time With Bill Maher” and “The Colbert Report” on Comedy Central. He’s also featured prominently in the Sundance Channel’s “Brick City” documentary series.
He’s the first Newark mayor to appear on the “Tonight Show” and the first to garner positive national attention for the city, said Steve Adubato, a local political power broker who allied himself with Booker this year after a lengthy rivalry.

(News Source: AP)

Thieves Target Chase Bank Customers

Passaic, NJ- Many of us rely heavily on modern technology, to operate within our daily lives. A new scam targeting users of Chase Bank “Text Alerts”, has some Chase customers worried.

Chase Bank offers their customers the option of receiving banking alerts to their cellular phones via text messages. Alerts contain information such as bank withdrawals, bank deposits, and the such.

The Scam: Customers have been receiving text messages stating that due to security implications, their account has temporarily been suspended. In the text message it has the number for Chase, so you can call and reactivate your account. The number which is listed, does not belong to Chase Bank.

When you call the number, a “customer representative” asks you for several forms of identification, to prove its you are the account holder. Once this information has been given, identity theft scamers now have access to your bank account, as well as several other options.

If you think you’ve become a victim of identity theft or fraud, act immediately to minimize the damage to your personal funds and financial accounts, as well as your reputation. Here’s a list  of some actions that you should take right away:

1. Contact the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to report the situation ( http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/ )
2. By telephone toll-free at 1-877-ID THEFT (877-438-4338) or TDD at 202-326-2502, or
3. By mail to Consumer Response Center, FTC, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20580.

You may also need to contact other agencies for other types of identity theft:

1. Your local office of the Postal Inspection Service if you suspect that an identity thief has submitted a change-of-address form with the Post Office to redirect your mail, or has used the mail to commit frauds involving your identity;( https://postalinspectors.uspis.gov/ )
2. The Social Security Administration if you suspect that your Social Security number is being fraudulently used (call 800-269-0271 to report the fraud); ( http://www.ssa.gov/pubs/10064.html )
3. The Internal Revenue Service if you suspect the improper use of identification information in connection with tax violations (call 1-800-829-0433 to report the violations).( http://www.irs.gov/privacy/article/0,,id=186436,00.html )

(News Source: PCJN Exclusive)

Rabbi says donating kidney was a spiritual obligation

Teaneck, N.J. —Even before Rabbi Ephraim Simon of Teaneck, N.J., gave one of his kidneys to a total stranger from Brooklyn, N.Y., he felt they would be a good match.

“This was a father of 10, I’m a father of nine — we matched already,” Simon said.

Both men are also Hasidic Jews, though of different sects: Simon is Chabad and his kidney recipient is Satmar.

The surgery last month at Cornell Medical Center was successful. Simon, 41, says he and the 51-year-old organ recipient, who declined to be interviewed, are both doing well.

Simon was moved to donate a vital organ last year when he heard about the plight of a desperately ill 12-year-old girl. He learned about the child from Chaya Lipschutz, a kidney donor from Brooklyn who has become something of a kidney matchmaker through her e-mail posts about people in need.

“I have a 12-year-old girl. If it was my daughter, I’d call someone to step up,” Simon said. “I couldn’t let a 12-year-old suffer and die without giving everything I had to save her. So I called Chaya and said ‘I’ll do it.’ “

The girl found another donor and is reportedly doing well. But Simon stayed on Lipschutz’s list. In the following months, he volunteered to donate a kidney to a woman with two children and to an Israeli man — but blood and tissue tests showed he was incompatible for both.

In March, Simon learned of the Brooklyn Hasid who was facing dialysis unless he found a kidney donor. The two men met briefly in a hospital hallway before being tested.

“Are you the donor?” the man asked Simon.

“I said, ‘God willing,’ ” Simon recalled. “‘It’s all in the hands of God. Hopefully, we’ll match, and if we match, you have my word, I’ll be there.’”

Donating a kidney filled a broader spiritual need for Simon.

“It’s an obligation of love and helping your fellow man,” he explained recently during an interview at his Teaneck home. “I certainly felt the incredible awesomeness of saving or improving a life.”

The transplant took about 3 1/2 hours. The procedure involved an incision through Simon’s navel to allow surgeons to insert laparoscopic instruments, cover one of his kidneys in a slippery sack and remove it through the small opening. “Modern medicine is just phenomenal,” he enthused. “It’s an amazing procedure.”

Some potential donors are put off by fear of pain or of living life without a spare kidney in case the other goes bad, Simon said. But pain can be controlled by medication, Simon said. The risks of losing a remaining kidney are “extremely negligible,” and donors “move to the top of the (recipients) list,” if they need a transplant, he said.

A little more than a third of the 14,000 kidney transplants performed each year in the United States are from live donors, according to federal health data. A live donor is a better source for a kidney than a cadaver. “There is always some injury (to the organ) involving a deceased donor,” said Stuart Greenstein, a kidney transplant surgeon at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx.

For Jewish donors, giving a kidney is not only a mitzvah — a good deed performed out of religious duty — but also “an act of kindness and goodness, like charity giving,” Greenstein said.

For Simon and the man who now has one of his kidneys, it was an act of kindness worthy of coverage by the Jewish newspapers worldwide. The two sects, among the largest and most prominent ultra-Orthodox groups.

“It’s incredibly unfortunate that somebody would utilize somebody else’s pain and suffering for their own financial gain,” Simon said.

As part of donor screening, a psychiatrist asked Simon about his motivation. Simon took out a photo of his family.

“I had two motivations,” he said. “One is to save a life, if I can give a father of 10 back to his children, and a husband back to his wife. And, as a rabbi and a father, I wanted to teach children how to sacrifice for others. God didn’t put us here for ourselves, but to make the world a better place and to help other people.”

Simon’s wife, Nechamy, was relieved when the little girl found another donor. But she realized she had to accept that he still wanted to save a life. “I had to catch up with him,” she said.

“My wife is the real hero,” Simon said. “It was our kidney we were giving away that, God forbid, if one of my children needed, someone else would have to step up.”

Donating a kidney was as awesome as the birth of his nine children, Simon said. In a sense, the donated organ was like a 10th child.

“It’s doing its job, filtering impurities and toxins,” he said. “I’m so proud of my kidney. I did such a good job of raising it. Now I sent it off to live in another home.”

Corzine: Possible Gas Tax Hike, On The Way

Trenton-Governor Corzine said Monday he’ll consider raising the state’s gas tax during a second term or diverting money from other programs to keep the fund that pays for transportation projects afloat.

The second option, however, would force the state find the money for road and mass transit projects that cost billions of dollars all while it tries to deal with a budget that could be as much as $8 billion short next year, Corzine said.

“I’m more than happy to do either one of them, not because I like doing it, but because it’s going to be necessary,” Corzine said during a meeting with The Record’s editorial board.

The governor’s position marks a change from statements he made last year when he called raising the 14.5-cent-per-gallon gas tax “a very, very last resort.” The tax rate is the fourth lowest in the nation.

Corzine, however, faces a tough re-election fight as he considers ways of replenishing New Jersey’s Transportation Trust Fund, which could run out of money by mid-2011.

At that point, the toll and gas tax revenue that pays for the program will be required to pay the interest on previously borrowed money.

The Corzine administration borrowed $6 billion in 2006 to extend the trust fund for five years. But the governor and his leading campaign opponents, Chris Christie and Chris Daggett, have been cool to the idea of borrowing more.

The trust fund will help pay for an $8.7 billion commuter rail tunnel to New York City and widening the New Jersey Turnpike and Garden State Parkway, which will cost more than $2 billion.

Christie has said he prefers a pay-as-you-go approach to the fund, while Daggett said he would also consider hiking the gas tax, and possibly establishing new toll roads.

Corzine said whatever decision he makes may be “unpopular” now, but will prove to be the right decision.

“Fifty years from now, when the trains are going under the Hudson River, people will say somebody was willing to make an unpopular decision to do something,” he said.

Corzine discussed the looming trust fund headache along with several other problems Monday, including high property taxes and a possible $8 billion budget deficit in 2010.

Corzine identified funding at-risk preschool education and other education needs, along with health care programs, as priorities.

But the governor said his best argument for reelection is that he has the “knowhow” to get New Jersey out of the recession faster, and with less damage, than his opponents.

“I can’t roll back the realities of how we got here in an economic recession, but I think we’ve taken more aggressive steps to make it shallower and prepare ourselves to exit,” Corzine said. “And I think I’ve demonstrated I’m prepared to take on tough problems even though that makes you unpopular, but fundamental challenges that have been longstanding in New Jersey are getting addressed and I will continue to do that.

(News Source: North Jersey.com)

Anti-abortion activists hold vigil in Hackensack

HACKENSACK – Dozens of protesters are holding a round-the-clock vigil in front of a women’s health clinic as part of a 40-day campaign aimed at preventing abortions.

The anti-abortion activists, made up of local religious groups and volunteers, are participating in “40 Days for Life,” a nationwide campaign in which protesters hold peaceful vigils in front of abortion clinics, Hackensack coordinator Lorraine Logerfo said.

Hackensack is one of more than 200 cities participating across the country.

The effort kicked off Sept. 23 with a Mass at Holy Trinity Church in Hackensack, followed by a procession to the Women’s Choice Medical Center on Zabriskie Street.

Volunteers take turns at the vigil, according to a schedule that ensures people will be present for 24 hours until the campaign ends Nov. 1, Logerfo said.

On Saturday, around 11:30 a.m., five women and a man with a young child stood in a line across the street from the clinic, holding rosaries. They did carry signs, but some wore t-shirts that read, “Say yes to Life.” A wooden cross was mounted to a nearby telephone pole.

Representatives of the Women’s Choice Medical Center could not be reached for comment. A secretary at the clinic deferred comment to the clinic’s owner, but the owner did not return a call seeking comment Saturday.

A patient entering the clinic also declined comment.

Across the country, pro-choice groups have countered with protests of their own at abortion clinics. A pro-choice rally organized by New York City Abortion Clinic Defense was scheduled to be held Saturday in front of the Dr. Emily clinic in the Bronx, where anti-abortion protesters were participating in “40 Days for Life.”

Suzanne Alexander, of Teaneck, one of the protesters in Hackensack, said the volunteers are there to pray, and typically, do not approach patients.

“We would like people to see us and change their minds,” Alexander said.

But the novices of the Franciscans of the Renewal from the Most Blessed Sacrament Friary in Newark, who participated early Saturday, approached patients and handed out literature, she said.

Lucy Meagher, a mother of seven from Dumont, said she is participating in the vigil every Saturday.

“We’re not here to judge them, we’re here to love them and tell them there are options,” she said. NorthJersey.com

Dozens Of Sukkahs collapsing!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dozens of Sukkahs collapsing through out the tri state area please use extreme caution when going into the Sukkah. A warning for strong winds is in effect until Thursday morning.

Passaic County Sheriff Plays Politics

I’m sure glad I don’t live in Passaic County. The sheriff might throw me in the slammer for impersonating J.J. Moon.

“J.J. Moon” is the screen name I use when I post on surfing websites. It’s also the name of a fictional surf star created by Surfer Magazine during the 1960s. J.J. would often be pictured riding a huge wave in Hawaii or riding the nose at Malibu.

But the photos were created with a cut-and-paste technique that was the low-tech equivalent of Photoshop. It was all a big joke, and you’d have to have been really dull-witted to take it seriously.

Sort of like Passaic County Sheriff Jerry Speziale. At least I hope he’s dull-witted. Otherwise he’s guilty of the most blatant case of political persecution I’ve ever seen.

The victim was Harry Clark, a 49-year-old resident of West Milford who fixes copy machines for a living and who is active with the Republican Party. In 2007, for a joke, he created an account at this newspaper’s website, nj.com, under the screen name “JimGeist.” That name is very close to that of a local Democrat by the name of James Geist.

The joke was obvious to anyone paying attention. The profile of “JimGeist,” for example, included the statement “I am an admirer of the greatest guy in the world Harry Clark.”

Geist was not amused. He fired off a letter to his fellow Democrat, Sheriff Jerry Speziale, in which he noted that “some Republicans have been using the internet site http://www.nj.com/forums/westmilford/ to harass several of our members,” by which Geist meant members of the West Milford Democratic Club. He went on to call for the sheriff to bring criminal charges against whoever was doing the posting.

At this point, Speziale should have called up Geist and recited the old saying, “Sticks and stones will break my bones, but names will never hurt me.” Instead, he put his crack internet crime team on the case. Before long Clark was being hauled off by three officers. The sheriff’s office had signed off on two complaints charging him with forgery and identity theft based on “posting messages ridiculing and defaming others without consent.”

As I sat in Clark’s kitchen the other day reading that complaint I nearly fell out of my chair. I have a blog on nj.com. If posting messages ridiculing and defaming others under a false name is a crime, then half my readers belong in jail.

But there’s something about the internet that makes people go crazy, even people who should know better, such as journalists. The local paper led its Passaic County section with news of the arrest for “alleged misuse of the internet” that involved “anonymous, insulting remarks” without giving the slightest hint that insulting remarks, whether anonymous or not, are not against the law. The story ended with the reporter’s observation that “Clark most likely will face thousands of dollars in fines, and could be given jail time.”

Well maybe in the old Soviet Union. Here in the good, old U.S. of A. the prosecution was troubled from the beginning. Though a prosecutor initially told Clark, “these are very serious charges and you could go to jail for a long time for this,” he says, by September of that year the charges had been downgraded to a disorderly persons offense to be heard in municipal court.

That should have been the end of it, but the prosecutor persisted, changing the putative offense to “harassment” when it was obvious the fraud and identity-theft charges were bogus.

Finally, the case came before someone with some common sense, Pompton Lakes Municipal Court Judge Frank Santoro. Last month he threw the whole thing out.

When I got Sheriff’s spokesman Bill Maer on the phone, he said Speziale stands by the prosecution.

“We maintain that our investigators found that the manner in which this individual did this, by saying they were somebody else setting up a fictitious screen name and saying they were somebody else, was illegal,” said Maer.

Interesting. But then why isn’t the sheriff going after Geist himself? In the course of the proceedings it developed that he has been posting online using the name of a certain “Barack Obama.”

When I got Geist on the phone, he said his use of Obama’s name and the name of other political figures online was clearly satirical. And I’m sure it was. But Clark’s use of Geist’s name was also a joke, a common one on the internet. Of the thousands who play such jokes every day, only Clark had his name dragged through the mud and spent tens of thousands of dollars on legal fees.

Maer denied politics entered into the prosecution. And maybe he’s right. Maybe the sheriff and the prosecutor are so busy that neither has had the time to read the Constitution.

It’s about time they did, starting with the First Amendment.  Nj.com

Tree falls on house on reid avenue

At approximately 12:40 this afternoon Passaic fire department as well as the Passaic police department responded to 36 reid avenue for a tree that fell into a house. No reports of injuries at this time.

Passaic Fire Parade

The Passaic Fire Department 100th Anniversary Parade
“Help us celebrate 100 years of proud service to the City of Passaic.”
Sunday – October 11, 2009
Starting at 11a.m. – Rain or Shine
Parade starts at Eighth St., continues the length of Passaic St./Ave. and ends in Third Ward Park
Refreshments in the park after the parade
For more information or to purchase an advertisement in the Commemorative Ad Journal send an e-mail to: passaicfire100th@gmail.com

*SAVE THE DATE* Editors note unfortunately it is during Yom Tov

Lakewood New Jersey Bochur struck and killed

A Hit And Run driver struck and killed a 17 year old Boy on Cedar Rapids Ave Cor. Millville Rd Police are setiing up a command to conduct an investigation on the hit and run.

Misaskim Is at the Hospital and at the seen………More Details To Follow

Update 10:01 The bochur that was taken from this world is believed to be a member of the werther family, may we only hear simchos.

Bankrupt hospital hopes changes will ward off closure

Bankrupt St. Mary’s Hospital in Passaic is hoping to revitalize itself by offering a speedier emergency room and other services to make it more marketable, officials said. The fast-track ER, which promises to treat and discharge some patients in an hour or less opened Monday. St. Mary’s has also expanded its infusion and chemotherapy center and brought in a specialized wound care nursing team as well as a new team of emergency medicine specialists and “hospitalist” doctors trained to care for hospitalized patients. The Home Depot company even spruced up the hospital’s landscaping by donating and installing $5,000 in cherry trees, mums, mulch and other plantings.

St. Mary’s, which was $100 million in debt when it declared bankruptcy in March, is making these changes in hopes it will recover financially and keep it from shutting down, as so many troubled hospitals in New Jersey have done in the past decade.

The new ER unit is part of the hospital’s “turn-around strategy, one of the many examples of how much healthier St. Mary’s is getting,” said Michael J. Sniffen, who tool over as the hospital’s president and chief executive officer in June.

The fast-track system for patients with non-life-threatening injuries or illnesses features five private exam and treatment rooms, including one for pediatric patients. Its $300,000 cost was financed by donations as well as golf tournaments and other fund-raising events,

The new ER system is “vital to the safety and health of the community” and the hospital, which handles 35,000 emergency department patients each year, Sniffen said.

“In a city with only one hospital, having a top-notch emergency room is a matter of life and death,” Sniffen said Monday.

About 50 hospital staffers and local officials lined the crowded hallway of the new facility for the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the emergency unit Monday morning.

“I’m very impressed with your commitment to the community,” said state Health Commissioner Heather Howard, who attended the event.

St. Mary’s, she said, has been through “an admittedly very difficult time,” since the 292-bed hospital took over PBI Regional Medical Center at 350 Boulevard in 2006, and became the sole survivor of three hospitals in Passaic.

St. Mary’s received $45 million in state funds to help finance the acquisition of PBI. But it’s financial struggles forced it to declare bankruptcy in March.

“Three years ago, having no hospital in Passaic was a very real possibility,” Howard said. The state government is “forming a unique partnership to save the hospital. Governor Corzine wanted me to convey his support.”

“St. Mary’s has a very special place in my heart and Governor Corzine’s,” Howard said.

Despite the new programs, the hospital continues to struggle.

St. Mary’s, which lost $21 million last year, faces a Wednesday deadline in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Newark to provide a plan for its sale or reorganization or ask the court for an extension.

The hospital projects a loss of $4 million to $5 million through the end of 2009, said Vanessa Warner, a spokeswoman. There are also $30 million in claims filed against the hospital by a committee of unsecured creditors, said Brett Moore, a Morristown attorney who represents them.

Meanwhile, the hospital is negotiating changes in its collective bargaining contract with 480 unionized nurses and technicians of JNESO, who agreed last summer to accept salary cuts and other concessions until Oct. 16.

Talks with unionized employees have “made some progress, but we’re not there yet,” Sniffen said.

St. Mary’s finished accepting bids Monday for its former psychiatric facility at 211 Pennington Avenue, which the hospital will auction on Oct. 15. Although 211 Pennington has a $2.75-million lien against it, Sniffen expects people to bid on the property. “We hope it’s worth a lot of money,” he said.

St. Mary’s, which is sponsored by the Sisters of Charity of St. Elizabeth, can survive, but it needs outside help, Sniffen said in a recent interview.  Northjersey.com

Experts speculate gas may drop below $1 a gallon

A worker lowers the price of regular unleaded gasoline in Independence, Mo. in November
How low can the price of gas fall? With drivers paying the cheapest price to fill their tanks in nearly four years, it is a question many consumers are pondering, with some experts speculating it is possible prices could even drop below $1 per gallon.
Prices already have decreased to below $1.25 per gallon in some parts of the Midwest. With the economy in a freefall, analysts do not rule out crude oil, which traded Friday in the mid-$40 range, sinking to $20 per barrel, a price that could translate to gas at $1 per gallon.

“Right now, you look at the way demand is retreating, it tends to predict lower prices,” said John Kingston, global director of oil for Platt’s, a provider of energy information. “A drop to $20 per barrel is not out of the question.”

In New Jersey, the price of unleaded regular fell to $1.60 Friday, the lowest it has been since March 2004, said Tom Kloza, chief oil analyst for Oil Price Information Services in Wall Township. In July, the state recorded its highest ever average price for unleaded at $3.99.

“I’m not in the camp where we’ll see prices fall to $1 per gallon or less,” said Kloza, who thinks crude could dip below $40 per barrel, but if so, only briefly. “Here, (in New Jersey), we will see some numbers below $1.50 per gallon.”

Capuana ops stay up and running in advance of next year’s contest

PASSAIC – It stands right across from City Hall, and although he came up 400 votes short in last week’s mayoral election, sources close to Vinny Capuana say his headquarters isn’t going anywhere.

It will remain open and active.

There is a mayor’s race next year, after all.

As mayor, Capuana’s conqueror, Alex Blanco, will enjoy the advantage of incumbency in next year’s mayoral contest for a full, four-year term.

But both Blanco and Capuana are trying to secure the backing of those other contestants in last week’s race to fill the unexpired term of Sammy Rivera: real estate developer Jose Sandoval, City Councilman Joe Garcia, and bail bondsman Carl Ellen.  PolitickerNJ.com

 

N.J. police stockpile assault weapons

BERGEN COUNTY, N.J. — North Jersey police are stockpiling some of the most sophisticated tactical and assault weapons on the market, but some residents question the need for such firepower in sleepy suburban towns.

Nearly half the agencies in a Record survey of 44 police departments said they own tactical weapons or plan to purchase them in the near future. Most departments are buying semiautomatic guns capable of one to three shots per trigger pull, while a handful of departments have fully automatic weapons capable of firing 10 bullets a second. A few have military-grade M16s or urban rifles that can blast through body armor.

“You’re not looking at major crime in these towns,” said Eric Krasnov, a 26-year-old from Harrington Park who works in Tenafly.

St Mary’s is trying to close the very well needed psych unit.

Editors notePCJN has learnt that the St Marys psych unit is very well needed. And also would like the resident’s of passaic county to know that, the psych unit last week was completely full. So where would these 38 beds go? Also many of the Patients at st Mary’s psych facility are voluntarily going to the psych facility however if they have to travel they probably would not go. And many of the low income families would not be able to visit there loved ones. Which is very important for such patients

 The overburdened mental health system in North Jersey is closely monitoring the proposed closure of the 38-bed psychiatric unit at St. Mary’s Hospital in Passaic County, assessing the potential domino effect on other providers if the state approves the closure, officials said yesterday.

Chilton Memorial Hospital in Pequannock and Clara Maass Medical Center in Belleville are two likely destinations for many patients, said officials, who noted such a move would make it less-than-convenient for some Passaic County families to visit loved ones who are hospitalized.

St. Mary’s has a pending application with the state Department of Health and Senior Services to close its 40-year-old psychiatric unit. Hospital officials said they don’t have adequate funds to continue the operation.

Ex-Mayor of Passaic Gets Nearly 2 Years in Prison

TRENTON (AP) — Samuel Rivera, the former mayor of Passaic, N.J., was sentenced on Friday to nearly two years in prison and fined $4,000 for accepting cash bribes in exchange for influencing city contracts.

Mr. Rivera, who was caught in a corruption scheme that netted 11 public officials, resigned last year after pleading guilty to attempted extortion.

Mr. Rivera, 61, admitted taking $5,000 in exchange for using his official influence to help a company become the city’s insurance broker. The company turned out to be an F.B.I. front.

The only explanation Mr. Rivera offered on Friday for his role in the scheme was “poor judgment.”

A former police officer, Mr. Rivera is among nearly two dozen New Jersey mayors charged with corruption since 2000.

Among the most well known is Sharpe James, the former mayor of Newark, who is set to surrender to prison officials next month. Mr. James was ordered to serve a 27-month sentence and pay a $100,000 fine for his role in the sale of city-owned properties at a discount.

We at PCJN wish our former Mayor the best of luck. And we acknowledge all the great things he has done for our city.

Holocaust Survivors’ funding falls victim to budget crunch

Jewish activists are lamenting the death of a bill in the State Legislature that would have provided $500,000 for services to Holocaust survivors.

The combined monies were intended for programs administered chiefly by local Jewish federations, including counseling, case management, home care, and semi-monthly survivors’ gatherings called Cafe Europa.

“The funding was contained in a supplemental appropriations bill,” said State Sen. Robert Gordon (D-Dist. 38), one of the bill’s prime sponsors. He said he wasn’t sure just how it was removed but did say it fell victim to the state’s financial crunch.

“The state is broke,” explained Gordon. “We are going to wind up closing hospitals. That is how dire things are. Things I submitted years ago that would have gone through without batting an eye were just slashed out of the budget.”

The New Jersey State Association of Jewish Federations, which would have distributed the funds to individual federations, began seeking the appropriation in April.

Ex-Passaic mayor awaits sentencing for corruption

TRENTON, N.J. - Former Passaic Mayor Samuel Rivera is scheduled to be sentenced in federal court in Trenton Friday.

Rivera resigned last year after he pleaded guilty to attempted extortion. He faces up to two years behind bars.

Rivera admitted he accepted $5,000 in cash to influence government contracts.

The former mayor was snared in an investigation that began in 2006 amid evidence of corruption in the Pleasantville school district near Atlantic City. The FBI established an undercover insurance company that employed two cooperating witnesses and undercover agents. News Source  Newsday/pcjn

Passaic Resident Taxed for Basements and Attics they are Not Allowed to Live in, Gary Schaer Thinks it’s Fair.

By MEREDITH MANDELL, STAFF WRITER | 08/08/08 04:02 AM

Dorothy Blostein sits in her attic on Ascension Street in Passaic. She has lived here for 44 years and says a recent reassessment that includes her attic is unfair. (KEVIN R. WEXLER/Staff Photographer)

City reassesses space in 1,000 homes

PASSAIC — Roughly 1,000 city homeowners will be paying hundreds more in their quarterly tax bills this year because the city has adjusted its assessment for basements and attics that have been untaxed for more than a decade.

Tax bills sent out in July reflect the changes, and some residents are complaining that the city failed to give them advance notice.

City Tax Assessor Thomas Poalillo said that, because of a computer error, for 16 years about 1,000 homeowners had been paying a lower amount in taxes than they should have as a result of their property being incorrectly assessed.

Poalillo said Appraisal Consultants, the company that did the city’s last revaluation in 1992, put the wrong amount of livable space these residents have into the city’s tax assessments computer database.

Poalillo said that last year he decided to correct the error by 2008 and add these people’s attics and basements as part of their assessments.

“From 1992 to 2008, these people weren’t paying taxes on the correct assessment,” he said.

“It’s my job to treat everyone equally. Now everyone is being assessed correctly. Now everyone is on the same playing field.”

Dorothy Blostein has been living in her two-story house at 168 Ascension St. for 44 years and said she never has been assessed for her attic.

The assessment on her home went up $15,000 this year, which translates into a tax increase of $909 a year under the current tax rate.

Standing on the stairs of her dusty wooden attic on Thursday, the 79-year-old Blostein said she was shocked in July when she received her third- and fourth-quarter bills for 2008.

“You can see it’s not finished,” Blostein said, looking at the various objects she keeps in her attic: suitcases, a box of photo albums, an old computer and speakers. “It’s just junk,” she said, her voice beginning to rise.