Women Passing Out Anti-Obama Papers Spattered With Paint In Clifton

CLIFTON —  Two women distributing pamphlets opposing President Obama’s health care plan were squirted with purple paint by a woman who didn’t agree with their message.

The suspect, who fled before police arrived, approached the table on Oct. 20 at about 4:42 p.m. and picked up one of the handouts, said detective Capt. Robert Rowan. After reading the information, Rowan said the woman became angry and told the two women she was not happy that they were comparing the President to fascists.

After reading the information she left, but returned a short while later, Rowan said, armed with purple acrylic brilliant paint, which she squirted on the table, the handouts and the women. The paint was purchased at the nearby AC Moore craft store in the shopping center at the corner of Allwood Road and Bloomfield Avenue.

Police responded but were unable to locate the suspect, described as a white woman in her 20s with dark hair tied up in a ponytail, about 5 feet 8 inches tall and about 140 pounds. The handouts, the table and a number of clip boards were ruined by the paint, Rowan said.

Initially police said the women were distributing the anti-health care information on behalf of a local pharmaceutical company, but on further investigation they said they learned the victims were distributing the pamphlets on behalf of a Lyndon LaRouche political action committee.

LaRouche is a political activist who has run for president of the United States under the Labor Party and the Democratic Party.

(News Source: NorthJersey. com)

Feds: Leader of Radical Islam Group Killed FBI Shootout

DETROIT — Federal authorities in Detroit say they fatally shot the leader of a radical fundamentalist Sunni Islam group after he failed to surrender on several criminal charges.

The U.S. attorney’s office says Luqman Ameen Abdullah was killed while exchanging gunfire with federal agents Wednesday at a warehouse in Dearborn.

A court document says Abdullah is an imam, or prayer leader, of a radical group whose primary mission is to establish an Islamic state within the United States. Authorities say he’s also known as Christopher Thomas.

The FBI was trying to round up Abdullah and 10 followers on many charges, including conspiracy to sell stolen goods and illegal possession and sale of firearms.

The FBI says Abdullah regularly preached anti-government rhetoric, and some of his followers converted to Islam while in prison.

(News Source: MyCentral Jersey.com)

Police ID Passaic Man Shot Dead

PASSAIC — Police have identified a city man who was found shot near Broadway and Grove Street last night.

Khalil Bunting, 27, was shot on Grove Street about 7:30 p.m. last night, and ran onto Broadway before collapsing in the street in front of a printing shop, police and witnesses said. The man was kissing a woman in front of an apartment complex on Grove Street just before a shot rang out about 7:30 p.m., said Maria Cerna, who saw the pair from the sign company she works at across the street.

A man closing up a supermarket on Broadway and Grove Street saw Bunting and the woman running around the corner before he collapsed.

“I heard a really loud bang   —   I thought it was a truck,” said Jeremy Lim, who works at R J Superette. “I heard a guy running down Grove Street, and he turns left onto Broadway. He said ‘I got shot.’”

Lim, who is a lifeguard, called 911 and tried to help Bunting, but his friends who showed up kept him away. An ambulance took Bunting to a local hospital where he apparently died.

Police did not release any information on suspects, saying the investigation was ongoing. Lt. Christopher Storzillo said an autopsy is underway.

Business owners in the area were told by police on the scene last night that a man in a hooded sweatshirt shot the victim in the back. Many today were stunned that a shooting happened on their block.

“We’ve never had anything like this before,” said Merlita Lim, who’s owned R J Superette for about 20 years.

Police are investigating the shooting death but have not released details.

(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

Reform temple’s on Simchat Torah

Members of Temple Beth Shalom reform temple of Clifton enter the sanctuary during a recent Simcah Torah service at Temple Ner Tamid of Bloomfield. The two congregations merged over the summer, and Beth Shalom’s Torah scrolls were subsequently added alongside Ner Tamid’s.

(News Source NorthJersey.com/PBJN)

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.

Democrats Want Orthodox Vote, Robert Yudin Says it’s Not Going to Happen!

New Jersey – The Democrats’ outreach to Jews in the New Jersey gubernatorial race came into focus this week as the National Jewish Democratic Council began a special focus on Bergen County and its large Orthodox population.

“We are really focusing hard on northern New Jersey, especially Bergen County,” said Linda Berg, NJDC’s political director. “I really can’t give you a sense of how much we are spending. Our members are busy raising money. We have an ad campaign, and we will be doing direct mail, but we don’t like to disclose numbers,” she said.

With an estimated 100,000 Jews — 15,000 of them in the Orthodox community — Bergen has a higher concentration of Jewish voters than any other county in the state.

“We feel there are a lot of Jews there, and we want to make sure we don’t have a fallout of the Democratic vote in a place where there is a big concentration of voters,” Berg said.

She is dispatching organizers “who are going to events where Jewish voters gather” and “doing phone-banking on issues to get out the Jewish vote.

“We are targeting Orthodox voters,” Berg said. “We have a few Orthodox rabbis who work with us very closely. We have people in New Jersey who know how to talk to the Orthodox vote.”

Robert Yudin, who chairs the Bergen County Republican Organization, said the Democrats “should be worried about the Jewish vote. There is a very big uneasiness about the direction the Democratic Party is going, relative to the Middle East,” he told NJ Jewish News. “When you couple it with the absolute corruption going on in Bergen County, there is an uneasiness, and you are going to see a larger percentage of Jews voting Republican than in past years.”

Yudin said he believes the Orthodox community “is overwhelmingly going to vote Republican” because “they are furious with Obama over Israel. As far as the rest of the Jewish community, most of them will probably vote Democratic, but I suspect we’re going to see more of the Jewish community voting Republican than have in past years.”

Unlike Corzine or independent candidate Christopher Daggett, Republican candidate Chris Christie supports vouchers and tax credits for families who send their children to parochial schools, an issue that resonates with many Orthodox voters.

Passaic City Council Meeting October 27 2009

On Tuesday October, 27, 2009 their will be a Passaic City Council meeting at 7pm at city hall. Come out and express your opinions, tell your politicians what you would like them to do for the people. Everyone gets a chance to speak for a couple of minutes. Our politicians will be more then happy to listen to what you have to say. 7 people on the council cant decide it all they need your help.

Lakewood N.J. Resident Gets Fed Up With Gang Violence Takes Things Into His Own Hands

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

If You Need A Change In New Jersey, Chris Christie Says He Is The Man

HACKENSACK – Republican Chris Christie offered himself up as the “change” candidate in the governor’s race here Wednesday, hours before President Barack Obama stumped for his rival at an event across town.

“If you think New Jersey needs a change in direction… then I’m the guy to vote for. I’m the guy who’s going to bring change to the state,” Christie said to about 12 supporters at the Arena Diner.

His words followed the release of a Web video featuring audio of an Obama speech in front of images of Christie supporters and the message “Mr. President, New Jerseyans want change.”

The video and Christie’s Hackensack stop seemed to be an effort to co-opt Obama’s visit and famously vague one-word slogan to bolster his own campaign. A Rasmussen poll released Monday gave Christie 41 percent of likely voters to Corzine’s 39 percent – a virtual dead heat.

“The president spoke very articulately last fall about the need for change and no state in America needs change more than New Jersey,” Christie said at the diner. “That is the intent of the video, to show people that if you still want change in New Jersey, there is only one person to vote for who will bring change because Jon Corzine has promised more of the same.” In a nod to the president’s popularity with voters, Christie highlighted their agreements on issues such as charter schools, merit pay and renewable energy. But he said that voters shouldn’t be swayed by the president’s appearance, since “Air Force One’s leaving tonight… [but] if you vote for Jon Corzine you’re going to be stuck with him.” The 3 p.m. event was low-key, with about as many campaign staffers and local Republicans on hand as patrons at the diner. Bergen County Republican Organization Chairman Robert Yudin said that he was confident that county voters would go for Christie, though he conceded that there were no Republican superstars to match Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and Caroline Kennedy. The election, Yudin said, would come down to property taxes with corruption a distant second, an analysis that voters at the diner confirmed. Still, many likely voters at the diner said they were not convinced by the pitches from any of the candidates. Cliffside Park resident Charlie Merlin, 74, said taxes were his primary issue because he is now paying $10,000 a year for his three-family home. But he didn’t know if he could trust Christie, a former U.S. Attorney, to deliver on his promises in the corrupting atmosphere of Trenton. “I feel really that whatever they tell me it’s not going to happen,” said Merlin, who added that the president’s visit made no impression on him. Joe Warcholowski, 74, of Hackensack, also complained that one-quarter of his $32,000 pension was going to pay property taxes. He, too, remained skeptical of Christie’s ability to fix the problem. “Maybe, I’ll just close my eyes and push the button,” Warcholowski joked of his selection technique. Christie did find some supporters in his walk through the diner, though, including a man who was speaking to his wife on his mobile phone and asked the candidate to say a few words. “Hey Jean, how are you?” Christie said as he grasped the phone. “Well listen, that’s what we’re trying to do here.” Christie left town at about 3:30 p.m., about an hour before police shut down the roads for Obama’s motorcade.

(News Source: NorthJersey.com/PBCJN)

Neve PTI – Debbie Greenblatt series tonight.

Join Neve PTI for a class with Mrs. Debbie Greenblatt that will change your life!! Join our 4 part series on Michtav Me’Eliyahu / Strive for Truth by Rabbi E. E. Dessler beginning tonight, Wednesday, October 21 at 8-9 PM through Wednesday, November 11, 2009 at the home of Varda Berkovitz, 291 Terhune Ave, Passaic.

Please register online at www.ptiweb.org or contact Shuli Mintz at 908-278-4059 or nevepti@gmail.com

The cost is $18/class or $60/term.

Torah To Honor Holtzbergs

At the Kinus Hashluchim, to take place November 11-16, participants will be able to write a letter in the Torah in memory of the Holtzbergs HY”D. It will be completed Thursday night, November 12, and will be led to 770 with dancing, Hakafos and a special Farbrengen. Both their fathers, R’ Nachman Holtzberg and R’ Shimon Rosenberg will be present and will address the crowd. The Sefer Torah will be used in a rotation by the fifteen chabad houses in India.
(News Source: Chabad.info/PCJN)

Alert: Cops with Radar guns standing on Brook & Garfield in Passaic

As I am posting this(1:30 pm), 2 Passaic police officers (without a car) are standing with radar guns, aiming them down Brook Ave towards Broadway, and stopping cars that are going over the speed limit. Watch your speed!

PBJN does not condone speeding. This warning will actually cause people to watch their speed, without the monetary penalty of a ticket!

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)

Gov. Corzine’s use of vast wealth is ‘corrosive’ to N.J. public

We have become so accustomed to Gov. Jon Corzine’s money leaving its heavy mark on our state’s politics that we barely notice it anymore.

But we probably should. Because nine years after he arrived, using his money like a club to knock Jim Florio out of the U.S. Senate race, Corzine’s gaudy style of politics is still warping the game. And now he’s trying to hide his latest spending from voters until after the election.

Vice President Joe Biden stumps for Gov. Jon Corzine at Middlesex County College in EdisonPatti Sapone/The Star-Ledger Gov. Jon Corzine at a campaign event in Edison on Monday.

The latest revelation concerns the Rev. Reginald Jackson, head of the Black Minister’s Council, and one of the most sensible and constructive voices in our political life.

Jackson, we learned this week, accepted nearly $90,000 from Corzine before offering his endorsement of the governor in this race. The money was earmarked for church programs and for Jackson’s campaign to become a bishop in his church organization.

People who know Jackson understand that he is not the sort to take a bribe.

He is a sharp critic of the governor on urban education. He sides with Republicans in his advocacy of school vouchers. He led the effort to stamp out racial profiling by the State Police. Yet he was outspoken in denouncing the cheap use of the race card by politicians like the former Sen. Sharpe James. The reverend’s convictions run deep.

Bergen County Sheriff investigating inmate’s early release

HACKENSACK — The Bergen County Sheriff’s Office is conducting an internal investigation into the premature release of an inmate from the county jail last month.

Jasmine Thompson, 20, of Hackensack, was released Sept. 25 after she was sentenced to two years of probation on a simple assault charge stemming from a 2007 incident. However, Thompson continued to face a robbery charge for allegedly stealing a backpack from a 16-year-old girl in Hackensack on Sept. 11, and should not have been released until that charged was resolved, said Ben Feldman, a sheriff’s office spokesman.

Thompson was arrested in Paterson on Friday and was being held at the jail Friday with bail set at $85,000. The charges against her have been updated to include a probation violation.

Bergen County Sherriff Leo P. McGuire “is extremely unhappy about this, and he considers one incident like this too many,” Feldman said. “We are doing an internal investigation to determine what modifications we need to make to prevent this sort of thing from happening in the future.”
(News Source: NorthJersey.com/PCJN)

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

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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.”

Israel hardens opposition to war crimes report

JERUSALEM — Israel hardened its opposition Tuesday to international calls for an independent inquiry into its fierce offensive against Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip last winter, saying it would urge the U.S. to prevent the issue from advancing at the United Nations.

The decision came at a special Cabinet meeting called to discuss a U.N. report that has accused Israel and Palestinian militants of committing war crimes during the three-week operation. The report, which was adopted by the U.N. Human Rights Council last week, recommends war crimes proceedings if the sides do not conduct credible independent investigations into their actions.

Defense Minister Ehud Barak, a fierce critic of the report, blocked a planned discussion Tuesday on whether to launch an investigation, senior officials said. Instead, Cabinet ministers established a special lobbying team that will urge the U.S. to use its veto power in the Security Council to prevent legal action against Israeli officials.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu supported Barak’s position, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the meeting was closed.

“Our struggle is to delegitimize the continuing attempt to delegitimize the state of Israel,” Netanyahu told the meeting, according to a statement from his office. “The most important sphere we need to work in is the sphere of public opinion in the democratic world.”

Both men have argued that the report was one-sided and undermines Israel’s right to defend itself. They also say that internal military investigations are sufficient. So far, the internal probes have cleared the army of any systemic wrongdoing.

But international pressure for an independent query has mounted since last week’s vote in the rights council.

Washington, which has reacted coolly to the report, is likely to veto attempts to prosecute Israelis. Still, the Israeli government is taking no chances. Tuesday’s decision by the Security Cabinet, a group of seven senior ministers, assigned legal, political and diplomatic officials to the lobbying effort, the officials said.

The U.N. report, overseen by respected South African jurist Richard Goldstone, has created an uproar in Israel. Officials say the Human Rights Council, which includes many Arab and Muslim countries, is hopelessly biased against Israel.

But Goldstone’s credentials as a former war crimes prosecutor in the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda, his Jewish faith and his close ties to Israel have made it hard for Israel to ignore his findings. Goldstone has personally urged Israel to hold an independent investigation.

Israel attacked Gaza last December in a bid to end eight years of relentless rocket fire by Palestinian militants. Some 1,400 Palestinians, including more than 900 civilians, were killed in the three-week war, according to Palestinian officials and human rights groups. Thirteen Israelis, including four civilians, also died.

The Goldstone report concluded that Israel deliberately struck civilians and repeatedly destroyed civilian infrastructure without military justification. It also accused Palestinian rocket squads affiliated with Hamas, the Islamic militant group that rules Gaza, and other Palestinian armed groups of deliberately going after Israeli civilians.

Each side has rejected the war crimes allegations against it.

(News Source: Ap.com/PCJN)

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)

Passaic Quality Of Life To Go Downtown

PHOTO BY MICHAEL KARAS

PASSAIC — In the face of declining revenues, the City Council has arrived at a crossroads: Dip into reserves to cover costs or cut spending next year by firing 14 police officers, 11 firefighters and six public works employees.

For now, the council chose the latter, but layoffs could be averted if the state comes through with increased aid in 2010.

It’s essentially the same debate the council faced four years ago. But instead of making the difficult decision to cut spending, the city’s fiscal gatekeepers devised a plan to borrow $2 million to balance its books.

In the process, the council added another level of government with new salaries, took on hundreds of thousands of dollars in interest payments and created an agency that can survive only by raising parking fees and ticketing residents for parking violations.

The Passaic Parking Authority was created for a one-shot budget windfall that has, and will, cost taxpayers more over the long term.

“It was a ploy and I think it’s going to come back to bite them,” said former Mayor Marge Semler. “It was only a way to cover what was going to be a deficit. They hired more people, added more jobs and at no point did they cut cost of services.”

The council approved the authority in early 2006 so that the city could sell it $2 million of city land. The authority borrowed $2.95 million to complete the sale of seven city-owned lots. Since then, the authority has had to pay $390,000 in interest payments on that loan — mainly through increased parking fees and court fees from violations. Each year, the author-ity must also carry at least $60,000 in new salaries and legal fees, according the agency’s budget.

The authority’s survival depends on how much it can squeeze out of the meters and money from parking tickets.

“Passaic Parking Authority is dependent on meter revenues and fines in order to pay for cost of operations and bond financing,” wrote director Ted Evans in November 2008 to the authority’s board. “Current economic conditions could adversely affect revenues.”

Keith Furlong, the city’s spokesman, said the authority was not as affected by the economic downturn as Evans predicted.

“We found the parking meter revenue has increased and fines and penalties have gone down,” Furlong said. “We’re not finding the economic climate is impacting the revenue of the parking authority.”

The agency expects to collect $1.1 million from parking fees this year, a 17 percent jump from last year — the largest estimated increase since the authority was created.

This week, the council debated how it could still operate a government that has long depended on raising revenues over cutting costs.

Councilman Chaim Munk, elected in 1995, led the discussion, saying it was time to finally make the difficult decision to cut costs — just like the city’s mostly middle-class residents have.

“The bigger question is, is it time to change course, because everyone in this room has had to change course,” he said at Wednesday’s City Council meeting. “When [families] get hit with a bill … we have to make cuts. Government doesn’t have to make tough decisions, because when we get hit by a bill, like the pension, we just raise taxes.”

The council will create an ad hoc committee to look at next year’s budget.

Council President Gary Schaer, who is up for reelection to his Assembly seat in November, said it was the council’s responsibility to start trimming if it wants a leaner budget.

“If the council wishes to make cuts, it’s the council’s budget. You know what, let’s make the cut,” Schaer said. “I want to join the bandwagon for fiscal conservatism. I just want to make sure the wheels don’t run over our toes in the future.”

Both councilmen voted to approve the parking authority in 2005.

Official: Hospital report will ‘drive improvement’

NEWARK, N.J. – Hospital experts say scrutiny breeds excellence.

If that’s true, Bayonne Medical Center and St. Mary’s Hospital in Passaic are poised for greatness because New Jersey’s 2009 Hospital Performance Report identified major weaknesses at the facilities. Bayonne received the lowest score in the heart failure category among the 73 hospitals scrutinized while St. Mary’s ranked last in surgical care and next-to-last in heart failure.

The sixth annual report released Wednesday measures hospital performance in four treatment categories: heart attack, pneumonia, surgical care and heart failure. Holy Name Hospital in Teaneck, Palisades Medical Center in North Bergen, Clara Maass Medical Center in Belleville and AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center in Atlantic City were the top performers.

“This is really good stuff because you can’t manage what you can’t see,” said Dave Knowlton, president of the nonprofit New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute. “Everyone starts to improve when you put the spotlight on them.”

Heather Howard, commissioner of the state Department of Health and Senior Services, said New Jersey hospitals have improved their performance dramatically since the state’s first hospital performance report in 2004. They had a median score of 97 percent for providing recommended heart attack treatment, compared with 90 percent in 2004. The median score for providing recommended pneumonia treatment was 96 percent, compared with 75 percent in 2004.

Democrats;Christie’s travel record as U.S. Attorney attacked

TRENTON — Democrats Thursday renewed their charges that Republican gubernatorial candidate Chris Christie politicized his office as U.S. attorney, saying he used his taxpayer-funded travel around the state to lay the groundwork for a future campaign.

Christie denied any impropriety and accused Democratic Governor Corzine of manufacturing controversy to distract from his record.

During his tenure as a federal prosecutor, Christie was reimbursed for the mileage on visits to an anti-tax group in Denville, a dinner dance in honor of a Republican state senator, and an array of business and academic groups, according to documents released by the Corzine campaign. The documents, including Christie’s reimbursement forms and mileage from 2002 to 2008, were obtained under the Freedom of Information Act.

The tax reform group that Christie visited in 2004, the Silver Brigade, is now the New Jersey Taxpayers Association, according to its website. The leader of that group was among a group of anti-tax advocates who endorsed Christie earlier this week.

“It’s either the makings of a political campaign, or somebody who likes to spend a lot of time out of the office,” said Corzine’s running mate, state Sen. Loretta Weinberg (D-Bergen). “Either way, there are questions about the propriety.”

The Corzine campaign analysis also showed Christie’s driving expenses increased from 2002 to 2008, and included events where he received awards and swore local politicians into office.

During a news conference in Gloucester County today, Christie dismissed questions about his travel expenses as an effort by the Corzine campaign to distract reporters the same week it was revealed the governor’s office has been trying to orchestrate events that would show Corzine as having been effective in creating jobs.

Christie said that revelation — contained in a memo from Corzine’s deputy chief of staff to cabinet members — should be investigated by the appropriate state agencies. On Wednesday, the governor defended the aide, Mark Matzen, though he said he would not have used the same type of language.

Chritie said his travel was not political.

“I traveled around the state going to places where I was invited to go and speaking about the work in the office and how proud I was about what I did,” he said.

Democrats have called Christie’s travel expenses excessive. However, the Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of Congress overseeing public funds, has never received complaints or looked into Christie’s spending, said Eileen Larence, GAO director for Homeland Security and Justice issues.

Melanie Sloan, executive director of the liberal ethics group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, said visiting business and community groups is part of a U.S. attorney’s job. “A big part of their role is they’re sort of an ambassador to the community,” she said.

But the anti-tax group “looks problematic,” said Sloan, herself a former assistant U.S. attorney in Washington. “You’re not even supposed to be perceived as political.”

Northjersey.com

N.J. Students Score Better Than Most On National Math Test

TRENTON — New Jersey fourth and eighth grade students are among the top performers in a national mathematics assessment, a report released Wednesday says, showing eighth-graders improved their scores since 2007 while fourth-graders lagged behind.

According to “The Nation’s Report Card: Mathematics,” issued by the federal National Center for Education Statistics, the state’s fourth-graders scored higher than all but three other states, while eighth-graders scored higher than all but two.

Eighth-graders scored four points higher than in 2007 while fourth grade scores dropped two points.

“The NAEP tests are the only exams that allow national state-to-state comparisons, and it’s clear that New Jersey students are responding to our school districts’ focus on math and science,” state Education Commissioner Lucille Davy said.

New Jersey students with disabilities showed improvement on the eighth-grade math test. The average score for those students increased from 251 in 2007 to 259 in 2009. The national average was 249.

On the zero-to-500 point scale, 249 is considered proficient for fourth-graders and 299 is proficient for eighth-graders. The average math score of fourth-graders in New Jersey was 247 while the average for the eighth-graders was 293. The national averages were 239 and 282, repectively.

The tests in math, reading, writing and science are administered nationally on a rotating basis to samplings of fourth- and eighth-grade public school students.

This year, 168,800 fourth-graders and 161,700 eighth-graders across the country took the math test.

(News Source: My CentralJersey.com)

Contracts Awarded For Passaic School

Passaic-The state’s Schools Development Authority awarded tens of millions of dollars to a Hawthorne construction company to build a new school in Passaic.

The authority awarded a $28.6 million construction contract to Dobco Inc. to build an elementary school on Henry Street in Passaic. The school would accommodate 688 students from pre-kindergarten to fifth grade.

Plans for the 116,934 square-foot school include a three-story wing consisting of 34 classrooms and rooms for music, art, and administrative offices. Also planned are a 10,000-square-foot playground and a two-story community wing, with a media center/library, gymnasium, and cafeteria/auditorium .

Dobco came in more than $9 million below the cost estimate for the Passaic school. That project drew 11 bids. State officials attribute the lower cost of the contracts to heavy competition.

(News Source: Merideth Mandell-Herald News)

3 Injured In NJ Transit Bus Accident

TEANECK—Three people were injured in an accident involving a NJ Transit bus and two other vehicles on westbound Route 4 this morning, police said.

A car entering the highway at Queen Anne Road just before 8 a.m. did not yield to traffic, and forced the bus into the left lane, pinning another vehicle against the center guardrail, police said. A van rear ended the bus.

Three people in the car were taken to Hackensack University Medical Center with minor injuries. One westbound lane of Route 4 was shut down temporarily to clear the vehicles out of the road, slowing traffic.

(News Source: Marlene Naanes- The Record)

Clifton Police Search For Pair Posing As Hospital Workers

CLIFTON — Police are seeking the public’s help in capturing two women who posed as hospital workers and stole hundreds from an 82-year-old Clifton Boulevard man.

Two women wearing white lab coats rang the man’s doorbell about 3:30 p.m. yesterday, saying they were sent from a hospital to perform physical therapy. The man let them into the house and one woman started doing leg exercises with the man in the living room while the other one asked where she could find a list of his medications, police said.

The man told her to find the list in the kitchen, and she went to retrieve it. After 30 minutes, the women left and the man realized cash he left in an envelope on the counter and in a container in the kitchen was missing.

The man described the women as white and between the ages of 35 and 40. Police believe the women were spotted recently in the same neighborhood wearing white lab coats but did not make it inside a home.

Anyone with information can call police at 973-470-5908.

(News Source: North Jersey.com)