Microsoft Issues Emergency Security Patch For Internet Explorer

Microsoft Issues Emergency Security Patch For IE

Microsoft is issuing an emergency patch for a critical Internet Explorer flaw.

JR Raphael, PC World Wednesday, December 17, 2008; 12:19 AM

Microsoft will issue an emergency security patch Wednesday for all versions of Internet Explorer. The patch is considered a critical fix for the security flaw currently plaguing the IE browser. So far, more than 2 million computers are believed to have been infected.

An advance notification of the patch published Tuesday describes it as protection for a “remote code execution” vulnerability. The move follows Microsoft’s security advisory posted last Wednesday and updated Monday explaining the vulnerability and suggesting temporary “workarounds” for protection.

The flaw can be used to let attackers steal personal data such as passwords if a user visits a compromised Web site, of which at least 10,000 are thought to already exist. Thus far, the vulnerability has been used primarily for grabbing gaming passwords for black market sales. The hole could, however, potentially also be used to steal more sensitive information such as banking passwords and other private information.

Some security analysts had gone as far as to suggest all IE users switch to a competing browser until Microsoft found a suitable fix.

Microsoft’s emergency security patch will become available Wednesday at 1 p.m. EST at the Microsoft Update site as well as at the Microsoft Download Center. All users of IE5, 6, and 7 are advised to install it. A separate patch is expected to be made available for users of IE8 Beta 2. Expect to see far more detail by midday Wednesday when Microsoft officially issues its security bulletin.

Rabbi, priests, sheriffs support Passaic imam in court

A Jewish rabbi, Roman Catholic and Episcopalian priests, a federal prosecutor and two sherriffs took the witness stand today to heap praise upon a popular Muslim cleric as his attorneys began presenting their case for why he should not be deported.

Mohammad Qatanani, imam of the Islamic Center of Passaic County in Paterson faces deportation for allegedly failing to disclose on his 1996 green card application that he had been arrested and pleaded guilty to aiding the terrorist group Hamas in an Israeli military court three years earlier.

His attorneys argue that Qatanani was detained administratively, convicted in absentia and subject to interrogation tactics Israel’s top court later outlawed as torture.

Among the witnesses subpeonad by Qatatani’s lawyers was Assistant United States Attorney Charles McKenna, who described numerous trips to the Paterson mosque as part of an effort to create better understanding between law enforcement and the Muslim community.

As an example, he said investigators often interpreted the tendency of Muslim women to not look them in the eye as a sign of deceit. Through the dialogue at the mosque, they realized it is routine in Arab culture for women not to look men outside their family in the eye.

“It’s important for us to have leaders in the Islamic community who will be accepting of us and give us inroads in the community,” he said.

The sheriffs of two north Jersey counties echoed McKenna’s statements that the mosque’s open door policies had helped investigators become more familiar with cultural aspects of the Muslim community.

But they also described a more personal connection they had made through their cooperation with Qatanani.

“When I’m in his presence, and he does have a presence, this small, unassuming person, he doesn’t say “boo” but he gives me a better feeling of peace,” said Bergen County Sheriff Leo McGuire. “I feel better as a person to be with him.”

Jerry Speziale, the sheriff of Passaic County echoed McGuire’s testimony saying Qatatani “radiates peace.”

Christopher Brundage, one of two Department of Homeland Security attorneys serving as prosecutors in the case, pressed Speziale and McGuire, asking if they would have different opinions if they had known about Qatatani’s alleged ties to Hamas.

Speziale said he would need to see proof of the conviction himself. McGuire said, “It would surprise me,” but added, “it cannot change my mind about what I have observed.” NJ.com

Breaking News Mayor (sammy) Samuel Rivera to plead guilty tomorrow

Passaic New Jersey   Mayor Samuel Rivera will plead guilty on Friday tomorrow ( 05/09/2008 ) to taking bribes last year.

 The mayor will be resigning from his office tomorrow. He will plead guilty for a plea deal. As more will come we will update you.

You heard this story first from P.C.J.N 

Jewish groups condemn attacks on Obama

 

Leaders of the Jewish organizations in the United States issued a joint letter Tuesday night condemning the email being distributed both in Hebrew and in English attacking Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama. In the email, Obama is depicted as a Muslim pretending to be a Christian and seeking to take over the White House and handing it over to the control of al-Qaeda. In an open letter to the Jewish community, the leaders said that they would not endorse or oppose any candidate for president, but felt compelled to speak out against “certain rhetoric and tactics in the current campaign that we find particularly abhorrent”. “Of particular concern, over the past several weeks, many in our community have received hateful emails that use falsehood and innuendo to mischaracterize Senator Barack Obama’s religious beliefs and who he is as a person.”

‘Make A decision based on factual records’

The letter was signed by Abraham Foxman, the national director of the Anti-Defamation League; William Daroff, vice president of the United Jewish Communities; David Harris, executive director of the American Jewish Committee; Nathan J. Diament, director of the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America; Rabbi Marvin Hier, founder and dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center; Richard S. Gordon, president of the American Jewish Congress; Rabbi David Saperstein, director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism; Phyllis Snyder, president of the National Council of Jewish Women; and Hadar Susskind, Washington director of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs.

There is great importance to the fact that Jewish leaders from all sides of the political map joined forces in this letter. “These tactics attempt to drive a wedge between our community and a presidential candidate based on despicable and false attacks and innuendo based on religion,” the letter said. “We reject these efforts to manipulate members of our community into supporting or opposing candidates.”

The Jewish leaders warned that “attempts of this sort to mislead and inflame voters should not be part of our political discourse and should be rebuffed by all who believe in our democracy. “Jewish voters, like all voters, should support whichever candidate they believe would make the best president. We urge everyone to make that decision based on the factual records of these candidates, and nothing less.”  Ynet

You Can Save A Life ; Just take a fiew minutes and wipe the Ice/Snow off your car

 

Above is a picture of a car that was smashed from falling ice. Please be considerate for your fellow freinds. Please take the extra fiew minutes to clear snow or ice off your car. Please use caution when driving leave extra time.

It was unseasonably warm last week, but it didn’t keep me from encountering people who sympathized — just barely — with this column’s call to ban the kind of road hazard that we call the Snow and Ice That Fall Twice.

That’s the kind of white junk that leaves the other guy’s car or truck, hits your windshield and makes your whole life flash in front of you. You know the kind:

* The Route 17 kind that killed Ridgewood’s Michael Eastman nearly 12 years ago.

* The Route 287 kind that caused Hawthorne’s Bob and Mary Mahon to chase after the car whose icy load smashed their windshield last year.

* The Route 80 kind that ran Kinnelon’s Tara Varner and her 2-year-old off the road last month.

Shouldn’t New Jersey fine drivers whose vehicles carry snow? Currently, statute 39:4-77.1 makes it illegal only when it causes damage or injury.

Cathy Eastman understands this because the vehicle whose icy load crushed her husband’s skull was long gone by the time police arrived. Tara, Bob, Mary and most of the 2,000 readers who sent me petitions early this year also get it.

But not some folks I’ve encountered. “There are thousands of SUVs, many driven by women,” said Pequannock’s E.L. Quigley. “They can’t clean ice off the tops of their vehicles.”

Ray R. also sympathizes, but:

“Do you have suggestions for clearing … snow from an SUV that’s been out overnight WITHOUT damaging the hood, roof rack or moon roof?” asked the Fair Lawn man. “Pushing snow off is easy, but after past storms, thick solid ice and packed snow didn’t budge after the car’s heater was on for 20 minutes.”

* Run a garden hose over the car with the heater running, but do this for short periods to avoid cracking the windshield.

* Put old cardboard, canvas or a rug over the vehicle before it snows, and yank it off after the storm.

* Run the engine for an hour, long enough to free frozen snow, or at least to help clear it.

Some consider all this unnecessary. One woman, 72, said: “If I can clean my SUV, so can anybody.” Cathy Eastman, who’s 5 feet 1, says she does it. NorthJersey.com And Passaic News.

Paterson, Clifton see surge in robberies

Paterson and Clifton police are continuing to see a surge in robberies, including a half dozen since Friday — two in broad daylight and two at gunpoint.

The victims — three men, a juvenile and two women — were not seriously injured in any of the incidents, police said. It’s unknown if any of the robberies are connected.

In Clifton, a 53-year-old woman was walking on Main Avenue near Park Slope when someone ran up from behind and snatched her purse around 11:15 a.m. Monday, Detective Capt. Robert Rowan said. The robber, described as a young black man wearing a black jacket, black hat and dark pants, fled on foot, police said. The purse contained less than $20 and numerous credit cards.

About a half-hour later, a 12-year-old boy was grabbed from behind and asked if he’d ever been robbed before as he walked passed a used car lot at Lexington Avenue and Van Riper Avenue. The robber, described as an adult Hispanic man in his early 20s, wearing all black clothing, took $5 and a cellphone from the juvenile, who ran to a friend’s house and called police.

“We’ve had a significant amount of robberies this month,” said Rowan, adding that middle-aged men and women had been targets in a string of recent strong-arm robberies. “It’s particularly troublesome when an adult is robbing a kid,” he said.

In Paterson, a waitress on her way home from work around 7 p.m. Friday was robbed of her purse after a brief struggle with a robber on Maryland Avenue, where she was punched in the face, said Lt. Anthony Traina. The robber, a man described as 5 feet 8, dark skin, in his late 20s, wearing dark colored clothes with a hood, fled on foot. The purse, which did not contain any money, was later recovered, said Traina.

Around 11:30 p.m. that evening, a 21-year-old man walking from his girlfriend’s house was robbed by three men in dark clothing, who approached him and told him to get on the ground at 12th Avenue and East 16th Street, Traina said. The victim said one of the men pointed a gun to his head and pistol-whipped him before robbing him of $20, said Traina.

On Sunday, another 21-year-old man was robbed on Governor Street by two men wearing ski masks, who brandished a gun, police said. The men fled with a wallet, which had $20, said Traina.

Shortly after midnight on Monday, a 24-year-old man was robbed by two men, wearing hooded sweatshirts, on Harrison Street and Graham Avenue, said Traina. The robbers got away with $23 and a cellphone, police said. NorthJersey

Woman injured in crash on GSP

CLIFTON — A driver was left with serious leg injuries and traffic was snarled for two hours following a crash on the Garden State Parkway this morning, police said. At about 8:30 Monday morning, Diane Nachbaur, 49, of Woodcliff Lake slammed her car into the guardrail on the northbound Garden State Parkway just before the Exit 155P ramp to Route 19, according to Sgt. Stephen Jones of the state police. He said no other vehicles were involved and that Nachbaur may have fallen asleep at the wheel. Nachbaur was airlifted to the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey in Newark, where she was undergoing surgery, police said. One witness, who didn’t want to be named, said she saw a woman with a mangled leg lying face down in a pool of blood on the highway. “It looked like her leg was torn off,” the witness said. “It was horrifying.” A man and a young girl stood by watching, but it was unclear if they were related to the driver. northjersey.com

Passaic New Jersey Motor Vehicle Accident. Both Cars Everyone Wearing Seat Belts only minor injuries

Passaic New Jersey–Last night at about 6:00 there was a two car accident at the corner of Aycrigg And Pennington. The accident happened after one of the cars ran the stop sign. Hatzolah Of North Jersey transported one patient to Hackensack University Medical Center and the other two Patients refused medical care. One of the cars were totalled. Editor’s Note: Please make sure to wear your seat belt.

Five Car Accident brings out 15 Volunteers from Hatzolah E.M.S.

Passaic New Jersey Five car motor vehicle accident. on the corner of Brook Ave and Passaic Ave in the heart of the Jewish Community. The accident occurred at approximately  1 am early this morning. Hatzolah Of North Jersey E.M.S. was first on scene at the accident. Hatzolah E.M.S. requested Paramedics as well as Fire Department for one aided in the back seat that was trapped in one of the cars. Hatzolah E.M.S transported four patients with paramedics aboard and Passaic E.M.S. transported one patient. All of the 5 patients were transported to Saint Joseph’s Medical Center in Paterson. One of the drivers of one of the cars was under 18. Passaic Police and Passaic County Sherrif also on scene. One resident who heard the crash said he heard the accident and he was amazed by the 15 Hatzolah Volunteer’s that responded so quickly. He said, “It’s truly amazing to have such a reliable organization”.

Passaic Police Officer catches Clifton thieves

CLIFTON — Police arrested two men and two juveniles suspected in-several strong-arm robberies of middle-aged men and women committed this month in Clifton and Paterson, authorities said Friday.

The four males, 16- to 20-years-old, were apprehended early Friday, shortly after three of them allegedly attempted to rob a 52-year-old man returning to his Prescott Avenue home in Clifton, Detective Capt. Robert Rowan of the Clifton Police Department said.

The would-be victim, sensing he was about to be robbed, pretended he had a pistol by stuffing his hand in his pocket. The three would-be attackers fled, Rowan said.

Witnesses provided a description of both the would-be robbers and their getaway vehicle, allowing a Passaic police officer to pull them over shortly afterwards, Rowan said.

A Clifton detective discovered a 10-inch knife in the vehicle.

Within a few hours of their arrest, Clifton Detective Robert Tillie used a cell phone found on one of the juveniles to link the four to a recent Paterson robbery, in which a 49-year-old, mentally disabled man was assaulted for $15 and his cell phone, Rowan said.

Clifton police were attempting to see if the four males also are responsible for several robberies in and around the Lakeview section of the city, including one committed Wednesday night in which a 54-year-old woman was robbed of her end-of-the-year bonus check and $400 earmarked for her family’s Christmas presents, Rowan said.

In the meantime, Clifton police have charged both Paterson men — Maison Booker, 20, of Sheridan Avenue and Raheem Beal, 18, of Ryle Avenue — with unlawful weapons possession, conspiring to commit robbery and employing a juvenile in commission of a crime.

Booker and Beal were being held Friday at the Clifton Municipal Jail. Bail information was not immediately available.

The juveniles, both 16, were charged with juvenile delinquency and were being held in the Passaic County Juvenile Detention Center in Haledon, according to authorities.

Two Passaic juveniles charged with attempted homicide in stabbing of Passaic Teen all involved go to Passaic High

PASSAIC — Police have arrested and charged two juveniles with attempted homicide for allegedly stabbing a 17-year-old boy during an attempted robbery Monday afternoon.

Investigators believe one of the arrested youths, who are 15 and 17 years old, is responsible for stabbing the boy in the chest, piercing his lung, said Capt. Ross Capuana of the Passaic Police Department’s youth services division. The victim, whose injuries were described as “life-threatening” before he underwent surgery, remained in stable condition at St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center Thursday, Capuana said.The alleged attackers were also charged with unlawful weapons possession and conspiracy to commit an unlawful act. They were held Thursday at the Passaic County Juvenile Detention Center.

Police anticipate additional arrests in the case, in which a group of bandana- and scarf-masked young men mobbed and assaulted the victim and another 17-year-old boy after they refused to hand over their North Face brand jackets. The other boy was not seriously injured.

Both the victims and their alleged attackers are students at Passaic High School, police said. NorthJersey.com

The So Called “Rabbi” Friedman harassed by zionists

Rabbi Moishe Arye Friedman, who is the Chief Rabbi of the Orthodox Anti-Zionist Community of Austria, his wife Lea and six of their seven returned to their home in Vienna recently after almost two months in Iran at the guest house of the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

After returning they founded out that all their belongings have been stolen.

“Austrian Zionist Jewish Community leaders have admitted having conducted burglary and theft at my house,” Friedman told Press TV on Sunday.

In a statement last week to the Austrian Press Agency (APA) the Austrian Zionist Jewish Community known as the IKG (Israelitische Kultus Gemeinde) officially admitted being behind the burglary, he said.

Accordingly, the family filed the formal criminal complaints against the IKG, and criminal proceedings are currently under way against the perpetrators.

This is not the first time the community commits crimes against its opponents in Austria.

Back in Dec 2002 the IKG –in an unsuccessful raid attempted to occupy and terrorize –attacked the synagogue of Austrians Orthodox Zionist Community headed by Rabbi Friedman.

In addition to the burglary the IKG filed various complaints against Friedman’s interviews and lectures at Iranian universities, where he praised Tehran for allowing freedom of speech and free scientific research on the Holocaust.

Last Week the Austrian prosecutors finally rejected and entirely closed all the files against the Rabbi.

Clifton Police Officer Was Injured When Route 19 Turns Into A Car Skating Rank

Clifton New Jersey- – Clifton Police got several reports at about 6:45 Pm of several cars spinning out of control near the Broad Street exit on Rt 19. The Clifton officers got on scene and advised their dispatcher that they should call the State to come salt the Highway due to the Highway being like an Ice Skating Rank. Moments after the officer advised the dispatcher of the condition of the Highway another passenger car skid right in to one of the Police cruisers. The police officers car was pushed about 30 feet forward all-though their was very little damage to the vehicles. The Officer was taken to Saint Mary’s Hospital in Passaic by Clifton Fire Dept E.M.S. No one else was reported to have any injuries. The Route 19 Highway was closed down by the Passaic County Sherrifs Dept. untill the salt trucks come to salt the Highway and is safe.P.C.J.N was the first to report this story.

Not very smart but true

 Tonight at 500 Broadway their was a report of fire at a Delta Gas station on the corner of Broadway and Brook. The call came over as a gas fire coming out of the ground from the gas lines. It turns out yes their was a fire on top of the snow multiple Police And Fire Trucks pulled up. The Chief who was first on scene after Police,went over to the fire and realize it was a Fire on top of the snow .The Fire Dept Quickly hosed it out and the fire was put out. After a small investigation they found out that the Gas attendant took Gasoline and poured it on the snow to melt the snow. Which is extremely dangerous. Well now the Gas Station has to deal with the arson Squad as well as several other agencies and fines.

Holland Tunnel Goes Green

JERSEY CITY (ap)  — The Holland Tunnel has gone green.

Crews overnight replaced fluorescent lights with light-emitting diodes.

The LEDs distribute light more efficiently, require less energy and last 15 years compared to 1.4 years for fluorescent lighting.

More than 1,700 LED fixtures replace some 4,000 fluorescent ones in the tunnel. Port Authority officials say they’ll save $340,000 each year in energy and maintenance costs. They will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by about 3 million pounds.

The George Washington Bridge’s “necklace” of 156 mercury vapor fixtures are to be replaced with LEDs in January. Wcbs

Disappointing fed rate cut spurs Wall Street slide

The Federal Reserve cut its federal funds rate by one-quarter of a percentage point today, trying to keep the country out of recession. Wall Street had hoped for a more aggressive cut, and traders reacted to the news by sending the Dow Jones industrial average down almost 200 points within minutes of the announcement.

Clifton New Jersey Another life is taken on Rt-21

Clifton New Jersey There was a fatal accident this morning at about 4:05 am on Rt-21 South by Rt-46 and Rt-20 when a car was driving down Rt-21 a 3 lane 55 mph highway the wrong way and hit a oncoming car at high speeds. The crash had 2 people in 1 car and 1 in the other the accident took the life of 1 left 1 in likely to expire condition 1 in critical condition. At the time of the accident Clifton F.D. had no Ambulances available so they sent 4 fire trucks all of Clifton’s Fire Fighter’s are E.M.T. Garfield E.M.S. Passaic E.M.S. Nutley E.M.S and Hatzolah E.M.S. all were on scene 2 Pt were xported to Saint Joes Trauma Center in Paterson with Paramedics aboard. The Highway is expected to be closed for most of the day for the investigation.

You heard this story first on Passainews.wordpress.com

Atlanta, GA – Coca-Cola’s New CEO Attributes Success To His Father Savings Jews From The Nazis.

Atlanta, GA – Muhtar Kent, the next leader of Coca-Cola, is said to be part diplomat, part farmer and part hard-nosed businessman. Supporters say he’s exactly the kind of executive to take the world’s largest

Muhtar is a unique product of three worlds. One, a Turkish national. Two, a child of a diplomatic family and, three, a member of the Coca-Cola business family,

Kent owes part of his personal touch, friends say, to his late father, Necdet Kent, a diplomat who was lauded later in life for saving dozens of Jews from the gas chamber. The elder Kent was posted to Marseilles, France, during World War II and gave Turkish citizenship to dozens of Turkish Jews living in France to save them from being deported. Once, he boarded a train bound for Auschwitz with about 70 Turkish Jews. After more than an hour, he persuaded the Nazi guards to let the Jews leave. Vosizneias.com

Passaic cops defend use of force

PASSAIC — The Passaic County prosecutor said the police shooting of an unarmed city woman “appears to be justified” after she used her car to ram police vehicles and strike an officer during a low-speed chase.

Michele M. Moleti, 34, who was hit by six of the estimated 20 bullets that police fired into her mother’s 1999 Nissan Altima, remained under armed guard Thursday at St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center in Paterson. Her condition was listed as “guarded,” less dire than “serious,” police said.

It was unclear Thursday precisely why Moleti, a former Clifton High School softball star who has had recent run-ins with the law, led police on a slow pursuit through Clifton and into Passaic. That pursuit ended in what was the third shooting involving Clifton police this year.

Residents of the neighborhood near Clifton’s Weasel Brook Park said that they had noticed an unfamiliar car parked in front a fire hydrant on Clinton Avenue as early as 4 p.m. Wednesday. Shortly after 9:20 p.m., Clifton police responded to a report of a suspicious vehicle parked in front of 204 Clinton Ave.

Two patrol cars approached and boxed in the car with Moleti in it. Officers got out and saw Moleti asleep at the wheel, said Passaic County Prosecutor James Avigliano in a news conference Thursday. The officers attempted to wake her. When she did not respond, they tried opening her door with a Slim Jim, a police-issued lock-picking device.

Moleti stirred and locked the door. The officers tried to unlock the door again, but Moleti pushed the button down again.

At some point, she started her car and tried to pull out, smacking the patrol cars behind and in front of her. Police said one of the officers was hit as she was trying to get out. Neighbors on Clinton Avenue said they watched Moleti barely miss hitting an officer as she struck the car and tried to drive off.

The police jumped in their cruisers and started to follow her. One pulled in front of Moleti after she turned on Westervelt Avenue, but she kept driving. They proceeded to make two circuits around a wedge-shaped block bounded by Clinton, Westervelt and De Mott avenues.

“It was like Keystone Kops,” said Michael David, a 64-year-old resident, who ran outside after hearing the commotion on his quiet street.

Meanwhile, neighbors said, a firetruck and an off-duty probation officer living on Clinton Avenue joined the chase. They sped after Moleti after she took off on De Mott Avenue.

The chase continued through local roads and then onto the southbound lanes of Route 21, Avigliano said. Moleti exited in Passaic, where a pair of Clifton narcotics detectives stationed themselves to join the pursuit. The officers notified Passaic police and the Passaic County Sheriff’s Department, who left the pursuit in Clifton’s hands, Clifton police Capt. Robert Rowan said.

Police used their vehicles to box Moleti in at the intersection of Gregory and Main avenues.

The officers stepped out of their cars and approached Moleti. But she allegedly rammed one of the vehicles and hit one of the narcotics detectives. The officers drew their service weapons and fired into the car. Avigliano said as many as 20 shots were fired at Moleti.

Six bullets pierced her neck, chest and arm. But she did not stop. Police followed her as she drove away. She drove to Lafayette Avenue, turned into a driveway and came to a stop. Police wrestled her out of the vehicle.

Twenty minutes after it started, the chase ended about one block away from the apartment on Boulevard that Moleti shares with her mother.

“I’m just as baffled as everybody else right now that this happened, and I haven’t gotten any answers from the police yet,” her mother, Rose Moleti, told WABC-TV in New York.

Avigliano, whose office is leading the investigation of the shooting, would not release the names of the four Clifton police officers involved. They remain on duty, said Chief Robert Ferreri. Detective Capt. Robert Rowan said all four men are veterans of the force. Two of the officers were treated and released from St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center on Wednesday night, one for a hand injury and one for a leg injury, authorities said.

Avigliano would not comment when asked if Moleti was under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the pursuit.

He said at minimum, she’ll be charged with eluding police, attempt to commit aggravated assault or homicide and resisting arrest.

“Police cannot use deadly force unless their life is in danger,” Avigliano said.

The prosecutor said his shooting unit will investigate to determine whether police acted justifiably. In June, Clifton police shot Garfield resident John Kubasta six times after he drove away from a traffic stop and led police on a chase. In April, police shot Aleksander Malek after he wielded a machete and a pipe. Both men survived the shootings.

Terence Persaud, an emergency medical technician who lives at the Lafayette Avenue home where Moleti stopped, said he awoke to find his yard full of uniformed and plainclothes police officers. He saw Moleti on the ground, her hair shaking wildly as police circled her.

“She was yelling and screaming with the cops,” said Persaud, 40. “They were trying to calm her down.”

His neighbors described hearing the pops of gunfire shortly before Moleti’s car and the police behind her descended on the avenue. On Thursday afternoon, evidence of the struggle remained, with shattered glass lying in Persaud’s driveway. Surgeon’s gloves and a dozen alcohol packets littered Lafayette Avenue.

Jeffrey Meano, who said he and Moleti dated for seven years, said family tragedies have haunted her. Her father, Ronald, died during her junior year of high school. Her brother, Mark, died last year at age 35. Illnesses took other family members and her own dreams of becoming a teacher were frequently frustrated.

“She wasn’t a dangerous person. She was a person who was depressed,” Meano said. “Every time she turned around, she was getting hit.”

Moleti was once a standout high school softball player. Meano said she went to Rutgers on an athletic scholarship before transferring to Montclair State. Recently, she found herself in trouble with police, getting arrested three times in a year and a half.

Edgewater police arrested her in June 2006 on charges of cocaine possession. In December of last year, Cliffside Park police charged her with theft after she was allegedly caught on surveillance video stealing $280 in cash from The Club House Cafe, where she worked as a bartender, Capt. Michael Russo said.

Earlier this year, Nutley police arrested her for making a terroristic threat, a charge that was later downgraded to harassment, said Paul Loriquet, spokesman for the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office.

All three cases are pending.

“She was no crazy person, no convict,” Meano said. “Just a normal kid who has had some bad turns and was in a cloudy place.”

–Staff writers Heather Haddon, Suzanne Travers and the Associated Press, NorthJersey.com

Passaic N.J. Car accident

Their was a car accident at about 6:20 Pm tonight on the corner of Main Ave and Brook Hatzolah, Police and Fire  all on scene.Air bags had deployed but no major injuries reported.

Gas in N.J. no longer nation’s cheapest

Prices at the pump crept up several cents in the past week, meaning gasoline in New Jersey now is the second cheapest in the nation, according to a report by the AAA Fuel Gauge.

At an average of $2.95 per gallon for regular, up three cents from one week ago, gas in the Garden State now is the nation’s second least-costly behind Missouri, where a gallon sells for $2.90.

The average price in the Trenton area is $2.97. NJ.COM

The national average price Wednesday morning stood at $3.10, according to the AAA survey

Immigrants reach 21 percent of NJ population

A massive new wave of immigrants that began in the 1980s has pushed New Jersey’s population to 21.6 percent foreign born, according to a study released Thursday.

With immigrants arriving at a faster clip and growing numbers of non-immigrant residents moving to other states, the total is rapidly approaching the all-time high of 26 percent, according to the study by the Center for Immigration Studies in Washington D.C. The 26 percent figure was reached in 1910, when thousands of people arrived daily at Ellis Island.

The report found that the last seven years have been the highest period of immigration in history, both in New Jersey and nationally, with 1.5 million legal and illegal immigrants arriving in the country each year.

The Center for Immigration Studies is a think tank that lobbies for lower immigration levels. While other demographers did not agree with the report’s more ominous tones, there was no quibbling with the overall numbers.

“No nation has ever attempted to incorporate nearly 38 million newcomers into its society,” the report’s conclusion states, referring to the total number of foreign-born people living in the US. “Whatever one thinks of contemporary immigration, it is critically important to understand that its effect on America represents a choice” by the government to allow such high levels of immigration.

While New Jersey saw slower immigration during the 1990s than several other states, including New York, the growth has quickened, with 589,000 new immigrants arriving since 2000. Only Texas and California added more immigrants over that time period.

The children of immigrants now comprise 31 percent of all school age children in New Jersey. The study puts the number of illegal immigrants living in the state at 429,000. by Brian Donohue/The Star-Ledger NJ.COM

Judge Removed Over Cell Phone Jailing

NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. (AP) – A judge who jailed 46 people who were in his courtroom when a cell phone call interrupted proceedings was removed from the bench Tuesday by a state commission.

Niagara Falls City Court Judge Robert Restaino “snapped” and “engaged in what can only be described as two hours of inexplicable madness” during the March 2005 session, Raoul Felder, chairman of the state Commission on Judicial Conduct, wrote in the decision to remove Restaino from the $113,900-per-year post.

A phone rang while Restaino was hearing the cases of domestic violence offenders who had been ordered to appear weekly to update the judge on the progress of their counseling. A sign in the courthouse warns that cell phones and pagers must be turned off.

“Everyone is going to jail,” Restaino said. “Every single person is going to jail in this courtroom unless I get that instrument now. If anybody believes I’m kidding, ask some of the folks that have been here for a while. You are all going.”

When no one came forward, Restaino ordered the group into custody, and they were taken to jail, where they were searched and packed into crowded cells. Fourteen people who could not post bail were shackled and bused to another jail.

Restaino ordered them released later that afternoon.

Restaino told the state panel he had been under stress in his personal life.

His attorney, Terrence Connors, said Restaino would appeal.

Tolls in the Garden State may be going up 50%

Gov. Corzine’s plan to raise tolls on New Jersey highways in order to cut state debt could lead to toll increases of 50 percent or more within two years of taking effect, Senate President Richard Codey said Monday, according to a report in the Asbury Park Press.

Codey, (D-Essex), said he does not know an exact figure, but that it’s “reasonable to say” tolls would rise by 50 percent or more, based on the amount of money Corzine hopes to raise in order to reduce the state’s $38 billion debt, the report said.

A 50 percent increase would mean a more than $3.20 increase on the $6.45 it costs cars to drive the length of the New Jersey Turnpike. A 70-cent Garden State Parkway toll would rise by 35 cents, the report said.

77 police officers hurt in Paris riots

AP VILLIERS-LE-BEL, France – Rampaging youths rioted overnight in Paris’ suburbs, hurling Molotov cocktails and setting fire to dozens of cars. At least 77 officers were injured and officers were fired at, a senior police union official said Tuesday.The violence was more intense than during three weeks of rioting in 2005, said the official, Patrice Ribeiro. Police were shot at and are facing “genuine urban guerillas with conventional weapons and hunting weapons,” Ribeiro said.

Some officers were hit by shotgun pellets, Interior Minister Michele Alliot-Marie said. She said there were six serious injuries, “people who notably were struck in the face and close to the eyes.”

The riots were triggered by the deaths of two teens killed in a crash with a police patrol car on Sunday in Villiers-le-Bel, a town of public housing blocks home to a mix of Arab, black and white residents in Paris’ northern suburbs.

Residents claimed that officers left the crash scene without helping the teens, whose motorbike collided with the car. Officials cast doubt on the claim, but the internal police oversight agency was investigating.

Youths first rioted Sunday and again overnight Monday to Tuesday, when the violence apparently got worse.

Police barricades were set on fire and youths threw stones and Molotov cocktails at officers, who retaliated with tear gas and rubber bullets. In Villiers-le-Bel and surrounding areas, youths set fire to 36 vehicles, the area’s prefecture said.

Youths were seen firing buckshot at police and reporters. A police union official said a round from a hunting rifle pierced the body armor of one officer who suffered a serious shoulder wound.

Among the buildings targeted by the youths was a library, which was set afire.

In Sunday’s violence, eight people were arrested and 20 police officers were injured — including the town’s police chief, who was attacked in the face when he tried to negotiate with the rioters, police said. One firefighter also was injured.

Residents drew parallels to the 2005 riots, which were prompted by the deaths of two teens electrocuted in a power substation while hiding from police in a suburb northeast of Paris.

A recent study by the state auditor’s office indicated that money poured into poor French suburbs in recent decades had done little to solve problems vividly exposed by the 2005 riots, including discrimination, unemployment and alienation from mainstream society.

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As N.J. house sales fall, prices still rise – only more slowly

The number of New Jersey house sales dropped 13.4 percent during the third quarter of 2007 from the same period in 2006, continuing a slide from the hyperactive sales pace of 2004 and 2005, the National Association of Realtors said Wednesday.

Home prices, however, have not followed. In the census area that includes Bergen and Passaic counties, prices were up 3.6 percent from the same period last year, to a median of $550,900 for an existing single-family home, the NAR said.

That may reflect high demand in New York City, which is in the same statistical area. The New Jersey Multiple Listing Service says that North Jersey prices have risen just about 1 percent over the last year, to a median of $520,000 in Bergen County and $389,000 in Passaic County. northjersey.com

New Yorkers’ great holiday escapes off to a good start

Every plane in this illustration – all 6,998 of them – shows a flight over the U.S. at 4:15 p.m. on Tuesday. And that was just a warm-up for today.

New Yorkers hit the highways and skyways in record numbers Wednesday heading to points near and far, lured by a baked bird that can’t fly – and so far, so good.

At least through the late afternoon, no major problems were reported in the metro area – even at one of the busiest bottlenecks: LaGuardia airport.

Although many arrivals were behind schedule by an hour or more, departures were moving relatively smoothly – with delays of no more than 15 minutes at most gates.

“It’s so much better than I thought it would be,” said Victoria Wallm, 24, of Dallas.

Her boyfriend, Kenneth Harris, 24, lugged their Boston terrier, Charley, who somehow talked his way into being included on the family trip to Texas.

“You need to be positive before Thanksgiving,” Harris said. “LaGuardia is pretty good this year.”

Officials said a 25% increase in staffing helped speed passengers through security check points. President Bush’s decision to open up some military air space to commercial flights also eased delays somewhat.

“Things are rolling along pretty well,” said Warren Kroeppel, the airport’s general manager. “It’s like a normal day at the airport.”

Even so, many travelers weren’t taking chances: Andrew Thompson lives upstate and arrived a whopping seven hours early.

Despite rising gas prices and fears of air delays, a record 38.7 million U.S. residents were expected to travel 50 miles or more as part of the largest predicted Thanksgiving pilgrimage ever.

Many New Yorkers may have already left town but others were hoping to beat the evening rush on what is often called the busiest travel day of the year.

At Pennsylvania Station, knots of people gathered with heavy suitcases in the Amtrak waiting area.

Ryan Bevilacqua and Jeremy Lyon, 23-year-old childhood buddies, were headed back home to Harrisburg, Pa. They said riding the train beats driving any time.

“The drive from here to Harrisburg? It’s awful,” said Bevilacqua. DailyNews.com

Recalled Toys still on store shelves in New Jersey

 NEWARK – Investigators from the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs have found toys which were recalled for potential lead contamination on sale in nine stores in New Jersey following statewide inspections conducted within the past week, Attorney General Anne Milgram and Acting Consumer Affairs Director Larry DeMarzo announced today.

Division investigators, working in conjunction with staff from consumer affairs offices in Camden, Cumberland, Hunterdon, Monmouth, Passaic and Union counties, checked whether recalled toys were available for purchase at 160 stores across New Jersey. The federal Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has sole authority to order the recall of toys.Consumers who believe a store is selling a voluntarily recalled toy without having public notice posted can call the Division of Consumer Affairs at 1-800-242-5846 (toll-free within New Jersey) or at 973-504-6200

Macy’s to Celebrate Chanukah Miracle on 34th Street

Macy’s flagship 34th Street department store in Manhattan has teamed up with the Jewish Children’s Museum in Brooklyn, N.Y., to celebrate the miracle of Chanukah.

The children’s museum, an initiative of the Chabad-Lubavitch program Tzivos Hashem, announced the partnership in a statement this week that detailed a host of activities taking place the afternoon of Dec. 9.

Museum staff will be setting up their “Chanukah Wonderland” on Macy’s kids floor, complete with a real wood and cast iron olive press. A person dressed as Judah the Maccabee – who led the Jewish people’s victory over the Greeks more than 2,000 years ago – will lead the children in making their very own olive oil with the press before using it to light a menorah.

The workshop will also be held on Dec. 2 at the Macy’s department store in Manhasset, N.Y.

After their military victory, the Jewish people rededicated the Holy Temple in Jerusalem with a jar of pure olive oil that despite only being enough for one day, lasted for eight days. The miracle is commemorated every year with the eight-day holiday of Chanukah, known as the Festival of Lights. Chabad.org

N.J.S.P. targets drunken driving and seatbelts

Starting Wednesday, New Jersey State Police troopers will begin their days with shift briefings that include personal stories from representatives from Mothers Against Drunk Driving to inspire the troopers in their effort to combat drunken driving.

“Many of these Troopers have experienced the horror of DWI as part of their duties, but when the scene is cleared and the reports are written, the tragedy of the incident is truly just beginning for someone somewhere,” said Maj. Matthew Walker, Commander of Troop D on the New Jersey Turnpike. “These family members volunteering with MADD are the faces that our troopers never get to see — the victims that suffer the rest of their lives from a senseless loss.”

Targeted seatbelt enforcement is another very important job that troopers will perform on the state’s highways throughout the whole holiday season. According to the latest data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, (NHTSA) 31,415 passenger vehicle occupants died in crashes across the nation in 2005, and more than half of them were not wearing seat belts.

During the 2005 and 2006 Thanksgiving holidays, there were an unbelievable 16 fatal crashes each year resulting in 41 total deaths. Previous years averaged less than half that amount. About 50 percent of those deaths resulted from accidents involving alcohol.

Throughout the state, extra troopers will strictly enforce hazardous violations, including the failure of vehicle occupants to wear seatbelts. Sober driving and regular seat belt use are two of the most effective ways to protect people and reduce fatalities in motor vehicle crashes. Research has shown that when lap/shoulder belts are used properly, the risk of fatal injury to front seat passenger car occupants is reduced by 45 percent, and the risk of moderate-to-critical injury is reduced by 50 percent.