Fare hikes to be aired in Teaneck, Manhattan

The Port Authority hopes to draw more people to its public hearings in Teaneck and Manhattan today that will address plans to raise tolls on Hudson River crossings from $6 to $8 during peak hours.

The agency also plans to raise PATH fares 50 cents to $2, and off-peak E-ZPass tolls on the bridges and tunnels by $2. Peak hours are 6 to 9 a.m. and 4 to 7 p.m. on weekdays and noon to 8 p.m. on weekends.

The agency’s final 5 p.m. hearings will be held today in the Marriott Teaneck at Glenpointe, 100 Frank W. Burr Blvd.; and the Malcolm X/Betty Shabazz Center, 3940 Broadway, Manhattan.

Port Authority spokesman Marc LaVorgna said the agency advertised in local newspapers and on the Internet, but no more than four people have attended each of the four public hearings.

LaVorgna said the public comment period ends on Dec. 27, and the authority could vote on the fare hikes next month. He said people can also send their comments to the authority via e-mail or the U.S. Postal Service.

“You don’t have to come to the hearing to be heard,” he said.

Under the plan, the 20- or 40-ride PATH card would increase from $1.20 a trip to $1.50 — which, along with the other fare hikes, would help generate an additional $300 million in revenue, PA Executive Director Anthony Shorris has said.

However, drivers in low-emission vehicles that get at least 45 miles to the gallon could qualify for a $4 bridge and tunnel crossing toll, discounted for helping to reduce greenhouse gases, Port Authority officials say.

Port Authority officials say the increases would be fair and equitable and are long overdue because they would pay for a long list of capital projects — such as eventually replacing all tollbooths with electronic toll collection. NorthJersey.com

Clifton house destroyed by fire

CLIFTON – A two-story house on Alfred Street was destroyed by fire late Monday, police said.

There were no reported injuries in the house, but several animals apparently perished, said police Lt. Pat Ciser. Neighbors reported flames moving from the back to the front of the house as city firefighters battled the blaze.

None of the houses adjacent the burning building was damaged, Ciser said. NorthJersey.com

Teen in hospital after stabbing on Paulison Ave.

PASSAIC — A 17-year-old boy was reported in “life-threatening” condition Monday night after receiving a lung-piercing stab wound from a group of bandana-wearing thugs, police said.

Police had no immediate suspects and were exploring the possibility that a street gang was behind the attack, said Capt. Ross Capuana of the Passaic Police Department.

At about 3:45 p.m., the teenage victim was walking with a friend along Paulison Avenue near School 11 when they were attacked.

About 15 young men, believed to be between the ages of 16 and 21, assaulted them, according to eyewitnesses. The attackers covered their faces with bandanas and scarves and tried to rob the two young males of their coats. They ended up roughing them up instead, police said.

The 17-year-old, who Capuana said might be a Passaic High School student and did not appear to have a troubled history, fell to the ground as his attackers scattered. It could not be confirmed if he attended Passaic High School.

But the juvenile did not realize he had been seriously stabbed until he tried to take off his coat and found it torn and soaked in blood, Capuana said. The friend was not seriously injured in the attack, he said.

The teenager was taken to St. Mary’s Hospital and later transferred to St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center in Paterson, where he was to undergo surgery Monday night, Capuana said.

Capuana said that while the 17-year-old was conscious, alert and able to speak, doctors considered his condition “life-threatening” until he emerged from surgery. His condition was not known Monday night.

Passaic Councilman to plead guilty today

Passaic City Councilman Marcellus Jackson has a date in federal court today to plead guilty to corruption charges growing out of a bribes-for-votes probe that netted 11 public officials across the state.

Jackson, 38, a Baptist deacon who was reelected to the City Council in May, was expected to admit his guilt during a scheduled 11 a.m. hearing before U.S. District Judge Anne E. Thompson in Trenton, her chambers said Monday.

He would become the sixth defendant to be convicted as a result of an FBI sting code-named “Operation Broken Boards.”

J. Gregory Reinert, a spokesman for U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie, said the office does not comment on upcoming pleas.

Clifton defense attorney Miles R. Feinstein confirmed that Jackson intends to plead guilty at the hearing. He declined to comment further.

The councilman was arrested Sept. 6 on charges that he solicited and accepted $16,500 in bribes in exchange for using his influence to steer business to representatives of an FBI undercover company.

The insurance brokerage, Coastal Solutions of Egg Harbor Township, employed cooperating witnesses and undercover agents who passed out more than $150,000 in bribes during the probe.

Former state Assemblyman Alfred Steele of Paterson and four past and present members of the Pleasantville Board of Education have so far admitted they accepted payoffs to influence the award of public contracts.

Three others — Orange Mayor Mims Hackett Jr.; Keith Reid, the former chief of staff for Newark’s council president; and James McCormick, a former Pleasantville school board member — have been indicted for allegedly extorting bribes and are awaiting trial.

Passaic Mayor Sammy Rivera and Jonathan Soto, a former councilman, also arrested in the September sweep, have been granted 60-day continuances in their cases.

Between January and May of this year, authorities charged that Jackson met in Egg Harbor Township, at an Atlantic City hotel, and in cars in Clifton and Newark to accept bribes from the FBI’s operatives. Many of the meetings were recorded by the FBI.

Initially cautious, Jackson appeared to relax as the cash payments flowed.

“I appreciate it, baby. Good things is going to happen,” he allegedly said on April 5 after accepting $6,000 from one of the cooperating witnesses.

Rivera said Tuesday that Jackson has been a “longtime friend” and that “I have my prayers for him.”

“I wish him the best,” he added.

Rivera said he didn’t believe that Jackson’s plea would affect his case, “One thing doesn’t have to do with the other,” he said. He referred all further questions to his attorney, Henry E. Klingeman.

Jackson, 37, an inspector for the Passaic Valley Sewage Commission, has served on the City Council for more than six years. He first ran for election in 2001 and lost, placing sixth in a field of eight candidates. But the council appointed him to serve out Rivera’s council term after Rivera was elected mayor. Jackson then sought to be elected in a November special election. At that time, the state attorney general announced it would not try to bar Jackson from the ballot, despite a prior drug conviction.

Jackson has played an active role in city political life as the former president of the city’s Democratic club and the lone black councilman on the seven-member council. Jackson is a deacon at the Calvary Baptist Church in Garfield.

Since his arrest in September, Jackson has continued to attend City Council meetings and play an active role in politics.

Calvin Merritt, president of the Passaic chapter of the NAACP, said even if Jackson pleads guilty, he will consider him a friend.

“If he did what the government is saying, I would say it was an error of judgment on his part,” he said, then added: “Friendship goes beyond things like this. You can tell who your true friends are when trouble arises.” NorthJersey.com

We at P.C.J.N. wish Passaic City Councilman Marcellus Jackson  all the best on behalf of the Passaic/Clifton  Jewish Community.