New Jersey News

Local NJ news from The Star-Ledger

• Schools to get $609M federal cash infusion
New Jersey school districts will share $609 million in federal stimulus money that they can begin to spend as soon as this summer to preserve jobs and invest in education reform, Gov. Jon Corzine said yesterday.

• A horse of a different color
Andrew Tedesco has done murals and decorative artwork for Spike Lee, Samuel L. Jackson and Michael Strahan, among others.

• Operator of 4 N.J. malls files for bankruptcy protection
Shoppers roaming through General Growth Properties' four New Jersey malls likely won't be able to tell the company filed for bankruptcy protection yesterday.

• Ex-AG Farmer is named dean of Rutgers Law
Former state attorney general John Farmer Jr. will be named this morning as the new dean of the Rutgers School of Law in Newark, university president Richard McCormick said.

• Coniglio jurors reach partial verdict but are deadlocked over one count
Jurors in the federal corruption trial of former state senator Joseph Coniglio said they reached a partial verdict late yesterday but remained deadlocked on one of the nine criminal counts.

• Jersey's revenue ends up $80M short for March
April's income tax filings are now even more important for Gov. Jon Corzine's new budget, due to an $80 million shortfall last month.

• High court rules teacher may sue for defamation
A Jersey City teacher who was taken to a hospital after another teacher said she had threatened her students may sue the school district for "defamation" and causing "emotional distress," the state Supreme Court ruled yesterday.

• Threatened eviction of Medicaid patient halted
New Jersey's Public Advocate yesterday accused a national assisted living company of "breaking its trust" with customers by trying to evict dozens of frail and elderly South Jersey residents who sought Medicaid assistance when they ran out of money.

• Convicted killer takes appeal to federal court
When a judge in Ocean County tossed out two murder convictions against him 20 years ago, Paul Kamienski hoped that would put an end to prosecutors' allegations that he helped kill a Florida couple during a drug deal gone bad.

• GOP race for governor could be a 3-man contest
The fight for the Republican nomination for governor is poised to become a three-way race, after judges decided yesterday that three other candidates should not make the ballot.

• Deal would let Izod Center, 'Rock' share the riches
Truce talks have broken out in the arena wars.

• Furloughs to shut MVC and other offices for 2 days
Gov. Jon Corzine's plans to furlough state workers would close motor vehicle offices and inspection centers for one day each in May and June, according to a schedule released yesterday.

• Layoffs, tuition hike looming at Rutgers
Reacting to state aid reductions included in Gov. Jon Corzine's proposed budget, Rutgers University officials announced yesterday they will lay off workers, cut courses and raise tuition to fill a $60 million hole in the university budget.

• Rutgers trims costs as Jersey cuts funding
Reacting to state aid reductions included in Gov. Jon Corzine's proposed budget, Rutgers University officials announced yesterday they will lay off workers, cut courses and raise tuition to fill a $60 million hole in the university budget.

• Experts mount all-out fight to not let the bedbugs bite
The bedbug -- a minuscule, multiple-legged, blood-sucking pest -- is clawing its way back into the American consciousness.

• Inquest delayed by request for lawyer
Fearing he might be putting himself in legal jeopardy, the owner of a fishing boat that sank off the coast of Cape May last month with six lives lost delayed a Coast Guard hearing into the calamity yesterday to hire an attorney.

• TAX OUTRAGE HITS FULL BOIL AT 'TEA PARTIES'
Chanting "USA!" and holding signs exclaiming, "Taxed Enough Already," thousands of New Jerseyans took to the streets yesterday for anti-tax "tea parties" designed to mimic the original Boston Tea Party.

• Home-alone horror: Party trashes house
Vacationing owners of a home in Clinton Township called police Monday night from Mexico, asking that cops break up a party their son was throwing at the family's Dartmouth Road house, police said.

• Budget committee weighs state aid to municipalities
Gov. Jon Corzine's proposed budget scraps last year's effort to encourage shared services by cutting state aid to small towns, but that doesn't mean lawmakers are happy with a new formula that weighs each community's ability to pay.

• Fiscal tremors hit home for Corzine
The economic collapse that's squeezed his state budget also took a toll on Gov. Jon Corzine's personal finances, according to tax information released yesterday.

• Tighter rules for teenage drivers enacted
Gov. Jon Corzine signed two bills yesterday designed to improve safety for teenage drivers.

• Deliberations continue in Coniglio fraud trial
Deliberations in the federal corruption trial of former state Sen. Joseph Coniglio reached a brief impasse yesterday, as members of the jury raised questions about whether he was responsible for actions taken by a staff member.

• N.J. to get $100M to clean toxic sites
New Jersey will receive more than $100 million in new federal funding for the cleanup of Superfund sites, including one in South Plainfield that an environmental activist called "one of the worst of the worst" in the country.

• If you're sick of cold and damp, April's about to warm things up
For those tired of the chilly, wet days of April who yearn for warmer, spring-like weather, state climatologist David Robinson has a message for you:

• Aiming to ease child health care
New Jersey has a quick, new way to identify 350,000 uninsured children and enroll them in the state-funded health plan, Gov. Jon Corzine said yesterday.

• Hunt for clues in ship's sinking starts with mayday
The U.S. Coast Guard began hearings yesterday into the sinking last month of the Lady Mary, with the owner of the doomed fishing vessel expressing frustration over the Coast Guard's response to a distress signal and questioning its inability to locate four of the men who perished.

• Hunt for clues in ship's sinking starts with mayday
The U.S. Coast Guard began hearings yesterday into the sinking last month of the Lady Mary, with the owner of the doomed fishing vessel expressing frustration over the Coast Guard's response to a distress signal and questioning its inability to locate four of the men who perished.

• Survival of arenas remains hot topic
Arena warfare gripped New Jersey politics yesterday, as Gov. Jon Corzine, Newark Mayor Cory Booker and the leading Republican candidates for governor debated whether both of the state's top sports and entertainment venues can survive.

• Now-bankrupt tax prep firm must pay $3.5M
A Superior Court judge yesterday ordered a Paterson-based tax-preparation firm to pay $3.5 million in penalties and restitution for bilking nearly 11,000 customers throughout New Jersey with hidden fees.

• Judge refuses to seal divorce alleging Springsteen affair
In a case already proving to be a media circus, a judge ruled yesterday that the divorce of a Mon mouth County mom alleged to have had an affair with Bruce Springsteen will remain in the pub lic eye.

• Lonegan mailing prompts a review
State election law officials are questioning the campaign of Republican gubernatorial hopeful Steve Lonegan for stuffing dollar bills in mailings to grab the attention of donors, the candidate said yesterday.

• First pup: With fame comes peril for breed
Portuguese water dogs are now drenched in presidential allure.

• Lawmaker escapes attack in Somalia
The plane carrying a New Jersey congressman on a fact-finding mission to war-ravaged Somalia was fired on by errant mortars as it took off from Mogadishu airport but arrived safely in Nairobi, Kenya.

• Lawmaker escapes attack in Somalia
The plane carrying a New Jersey congressman on a fact-finding mission to war-ravaged Somalia was fired on by errant mortars as it took off from Mogadishu airport but arrived safely in Nairobi, Kenya.

• Softening of Cuba policy raises hopes for families in Jersey
For Kenia Cardena, it means she will be able to see the parents and relatives she left behind.

• Mayor blasts plans for Izod arena as 'injurious'
Newark's mayor denounced a state-backed plan to improve the Meadowlands' Izod Center yesterday as "costly, shortsighted and injurious" to the state's largest city and called on Gov. Jon Corzine to veto the effort.

• Booker's letter to Corzine
A copy of the letter Newark Mayor Cory Booker sent to Gov. Jon Cozine yesterday:

• Swinging some Asian monkey business into Essex County
It's supposed to look like an archaeological dig amid the ancient ruins of a "Lost City" in Thailand.

• Governor unveils $3.6B plan for roads and rails
Gov. Jon Corzine said yesterday that improving New Jersey roads and rails are "part of our strategic future" as the state embarks on its largest-ever capital construction program.

• Former senator's corruption case is in jury's hands
The political corruption trial of former state Sen. Joseph Coniglio went to a jury yesterday as both the prosecution and defense focused on the $5,000-a-month consulting contract with Hackensack University Medical Center that remains a linchpin in the case.

• Woman asks court to seal divorce file
A Superior Court judge in Ocean County is expected to decide this afternoon whether to seal the divorce file of a Monmouth County man who claims Bruce Springsteen broke up his 17-year marriage.

• Probe to begin in fatal sinking of boat off Cape May
The U.S. Coast Guard will convene a special hearing today to investigate the sinking of a scallop boat off Cape May last month that killed six of seven crew members.

• Death spurs new doubts about DYFS
New Jersey's child welfare system thought Vincent Williams was a changed man.

• 2 Jerseyans map health care reform
WASHINGTON -- Two veteran New Jersey lawmakers play key roles in drafting a new health insurance law that could create the first national health care system.

• Addicts drawn to needle exchange
Every week in Newark, 2,500 clean needles are handed out and 2,500 dirty needles are taken off the streets -- one needle at a time.

• Springsteen's accuser denies violence to wife
In the continuing divorce saga naming rocker Bruce Springsteen as the other man, a Red Bank businessman insisted yesterday he has not been violent to his estranged wife.

• WORKERS SHOP FOR NEW CAREERS
Melissa Thomas-Garcia thought selling real estate would be a great way to funnel the entrepreneurial energy she used selling crafts and Avon out of her home into a long-term, steady job.

• Alternate route to teaching is now a road more traveled
Educators at Bergen Community College expected a good turnout when they held two open houses for prospective students in their alternate route teaching program.

• Crisis averted, for now
Last fall, things were looking dire as the recession hit New Jersey hard: Food banks were running out of food. Foreclosures were on the rise. Thousands of middle-class families were on the verge of having their heat and electricity shut off.

• Gearing for a fight between millionaires
STATEHOUSE BUREAUThe 2009 governor's race is shaping up to be a tug-of-war for the support of middle-income New Jerseyans -- the so-called "kitchen table" voters who represent the margin of victory in every statewide election.

• Angling to keep Jerseyans hooked on fishing
If you're too busy to fish, you're too busy.

• Window vibrantly relays Easter's message of hope
The window depicting Jesus' Resurrection is far from the most prominent of the 200 stained-glass windows that illuminate Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark.

• Accounting for a $2.2B difference in budget's bottom line
Gov. Corzine's new budget is listed at $29.8 billion, but it spends $32 billion.

• Girl dies 2 days after falling into pond
A North Brunswick toddler died early yesterday after falling into a retention pond about 100 feet from her home on Thursday.

• Trolley plan to spotlight Newark attractions
Up to 18,000 sports fans and concertgoers descend on Newark when a major event is being held at the Prudential Center, but many of those visitors don't stick around after a game or concert, city officials say.

• Sun-drenched dreams on a rainy day
Wearing a baseball cap emblazoned with piano keys, Bob Richardson stood in the pouring rain at the Newark Bears ballpark yesterday and smiled broadly.

• NEWARK
A man wielding a handgun robbed an undisclosed sum of money on Saturday from the 2909 Washington Road location of Capital One bank, local police said.

• Slain college student was ready to tackle the world
Nurtured from an early age by her activist parents, 19-year-old Emily Silverstein was acutely aware of the troubles of the world and worked to find solutions to issues such as homelessness and women's rights. A sophomore honors student at Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania, she was poised to take the world by storm, her family said.

• Family, fanfare greet Marines returning home
For the 44th time in her life, Claudia Gold-Guertin nervously waited for a loved one to return from military service.

• 70 cats to be removed from house, placed in shelter
A deal has been worked out to remove more than 70 cats from the home of a Chester Township woman who faces 186 civil and criminal counts of animal cruelty stemming from a March 26 raid on her feline-infested, million-dollar house, officials said last night.

• Woman denies having an affair with the Boss
A West Long Branch woman accused by her estranged husband of having an affair with Bruce Springsteen denied through her attorney yesterday any marital infidelity with the rock star.

• Man's two missions: Help kids, top record
Nobody told Patrick Wettengel that the press gathering at the Morristown Airport yesterday was a glorified photo op.

• Dover man held in shooting
A Dover man was being held in the Morris County Jail yesterday on charges he shot a Morristown woman in the head Thursday night, authorities said.

• Family links late man's crash to a heart attack
Suffering from stomach pains, Gary Kreutzer left work early Thursday at the Somerset Youth Shelter and drove off to see a doctor, his daughter said.

• Manville stabbing is probed to see if it is gang related
Officials are investigating whether the stabbing of a 19-year-old Manville man Thursday night is gang-related.

• Answering duty's call, again
FORT SILL, Okla. -- It was all very familiar to many members of the New Jersey Army National Guard as they stood at attention yesterday in the swirling winds and heat, transitioning, yet again, into soldiers of the United States Army.

• Ponzi scheme architect admits guilt
Telling his victims he was "truly sorry" for what he did, the founder and president of a New Jersey real estate company pleaded guilty yesterday to orchestrating a massive Ponzi scheme authorities say bilked more than $80 million from hundreds of people.

• Groups paint independent truckers as polluters
The independent trucker is an American icon, glorified 30 years ago in B-movies like "Smokey and the Bandit" as the modern cowboy making a living on his own wits and diesel-powered rig.

• Ex-UMDNJ worker awarded $349,000
A jury awarded a total of $349,000 to a former official at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey who sued for losing her job after she cooperated with a criminal investigation into the school's practice of making illegal political contributions.

• Newark police and state parole board join forces to head off trouble
The Newark Police Department and the state Parole Board have teamed up to keep a closer eye on parolees who are deemed more likely to commit crimes again and catch the ones who have illegally slipped away.

• Monmouth man charged with abandoning white rabbit
A Monmouth County man has been charged with releasing his family's pet rabbit into the wild, a practice that animal experts fear may be repeated by others who buy bunnies, chicks or ducklings at Easter, then decide they can no longer care for such animals.

• Judge tosses lawsuit against Plainfield landlord
A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit attempting to use anti-organized-crime laws to stop a landlord from renting apartments to illegal immigrants in Plainfield.

• Bruce says his marriage still strong
Responding to being named as the other man in a Monmouth County divorce complaint, Bruce Springsteen yesterday reaffirmed his commitment to wife Patti Scialfa.

• Rising job fears threaten to bog down recovery
Gossiping? Not these days. Workers gathered around the office water cooler are more likely to be commiserating about job security, furloughs, the plight of unemployed co-workers and the lasting effects of one of the nation's worst economic downturns.

• Court extends fraud law to online sales of vehicles
New Jersey car dealers who sell lemons online can be held liable for fraud, the state Supreme Court ruled yesterday.

• His own independence day
After being held hostage for 61 days by Pakistani militants, his hands and feet bound and his life under constant threat, John Solecki found himself taking a familiar walk around his parents' South Orange home yesterday afternoon.

• State to close 18 schools for disabled and troubled kids
New Jersey's child mental health and welfare agency will cease operating 18 schools for disabled and troubled kids by June 2010.

• Economic competition widens students' eyes
Call these mini ministers of finance the G-9 and G-10.

• Planning for the worst when Sully's not around
On Jan. 15, Capt. Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger successfully steered US Airways Flight 1549 to a safe landing in the Hudson River, saving all 155 people aboard.

• State continues doctor's suspension
An Ocean County doctor whom health officials suspect was the source of a hepatitis B outbreak had his medical license suspended indefinitely yesterday by state regulators.

• Key N.J. higher education official to join Obama administration
One of Trenton's leading higher education officials, Jane Oates, has been nominated to join the Obama administration at the U.S. Department of Labor, the White House announced yesterday.

• Feds: Irvington firm won't recall nuts
U.S. Marshals executed a warrant yesterday on a Irvington company that has refused to recall products made with peanuts shipped from a Georgia facility at the center of a salmonella contamination outbreak.

• So, my YouTube video is 'dumb'? Try 'lucrative'
For many people, posting videos on YouTube is a way to make a point or just goof off. For Josh Chomik, it's a way to pay for college.

• Lawmakers, treasurer spar over property taxes
With Gov. Jon Corzine's proposed state budget facing a possible $605 million shortfall and state workers across New Jersey protesting his plan to save money by furloughing them, lawmakers spent time yesterday debating this question: Are New Jersey residents taxed too much?

• Beloved educator touched many lives
Rashon Burno had worked all summer at a sporting goods store to save enough money to help support his five brothers and sisters. Life wasn't easy growing up in Jersey City's Duncan Projects in the mid-1990s, and with both his parents dead, the need for money was great.

• Newark to shut two middle schools
Looking to plug a $44 million shortfall in its nearly $1 billion proposed budget, the Newark school district will close two middle schools and eliminate more than 50 central office jobs.

• A creative way to deal with Passover food ban
At 9 this morning, New Brunswick resident Jose Mendez, a non-Jew, will become owner of a huge amount of food he'll never eat.

• GIVING CYCLISTS SPACE FOR SAFETY
Bent Rasmussen grew up in Denmark, where bicycling is the mode of transportation for half the country. Even after he moved to the United States a half-century ago, the Sparta resident carried his culture with him, pedaling 20 miles a day on the roads of New Jersey.

• Top court blasts DYFS in custody case
The state Supreme Court yesterday criticized the state Division of Youth and Family Services for ending an investigation of a woman who had "abused and neglected" her two children, saying a full hearing process is needed before determining where children should live.

• Doctors, patients have say in health care reform
As far as Kia Moore is concerned, the health insurance system miserably failed her and her 20-month-old son.

• Coniglio's ex-aide says boss blended legislative, consulting jobs
A former aide began his testimony yesterday saying Joseph Coniglio never blurred the lines between his duties as a state senator and his hospital consulting job.

• Italy: N.J. quake relief valued, but government help is ample
The Italian government is saying thank you but slow down to the generous pledges of support from the Italian-American community in New Jersey, which quickly began efforts to raise funds for victims of the worst earthquake to hit Italy in three decades.

• Corzine faces new dilemma on budget
Gov. Jon Corzine may be forced to once again cut his already scaled-back state budget after nonpartisan budget analysts yesterday said revenues will be $605 million less than what he projected last month.

• A.C. energy hearing fuels more debate
The outer continental shelf that stretches along the East Coast and is believed to contain billions of gal lons of oil will play a key role in President Obama's new energy plan, but whether it should supply petroleum, wind power or some other alternative energy source was hotly debated yesterday at a federal hearing in Atlantic City.

• LOW WATER, HIGH ANXIETY
Marina owners and local officials say the state mishandled a planned drawdown of Lake Hopatcong, creating unusually low water levels they maintain could hamper the start of this season's boating business.

• Enraged ex-lover kills pair, then self
Christa Wahler and Dennis Marko had dated in the early 1990s, but they went on to marry others, have children and eventually divorce.

• Christie fends off ethics attacks as criticism rises
Swinging back at political foes who attacked his ethics, Republican gubernatorial candidate Chris Christie yesterday defended his dealings with federal monitors to whom he awarded no-bid contracts while U.S. Attorney.

• Corzine, 8 others take first step in gubernatorial race
The battle for the governor's mansion officially got under way yesterday as nine candidates filed nominating petitions by the afternoon deadline.

• DEP approves controversial development
A Hunterdon County housing project rejected by the New Jersey Highlands Council in one of its first reviews of development in the environmentally sensitive region has received a key and controversial approval by the state Department of Environmental Protection.

• Ex-staffer testifies Coniglio didn't give hospital special treatment
Ex-state Sen. Joseph Coniglio's former chief of staff yesterday testified he publicly misstated how the Bergen County Democrat communicated with a hospital that authorities say paid him in exchange for state grants.

• Resale of concert tickets spurs subpoenas
Federal and state investigators have sent subpoenas to Ticketmaster and to ticket brokers who use the ticket giant's internet subsidiary, TicketsNow, seeking information about how the brokers get seats they resell instantaneously and at a huge markup.

• Freed captive to visit family later this week
William Solecki, the brother of freed U.N. worker John Solecki, said his family did not expect his brother back in New Jersey until the middle of this week.

• Asbury Park officers seize $50K in heroin
Monmouth County detectives last week arrested an Asbury Park couple accused of distributing heroin and cocaine, authorities said yesterday.

• As conditions change, banks rethink U.S. aid
Several New Jersey banks are thinking of returning federal funds, saying thanks, but no thanks, to millions they've received over the past few months.

• N.J. cuts the wait for jobless filings
STATEHOUSE BUREAUIf you're having trouble filing for New Jersey unemployment benefits over the phone, here's why: 173,999 other people also are dialing each week.

• Freed U.N. captive flies home to Jersey
John Solecki, a New Jersey man held captive for two months in the mountains of Pakistan, may be reunited with his family as early as today, according to U.N. officials.

• Munoz's widow seeks to fill his Assembly seat
The widow of Republican Assemblyman Eric Munoz is seeking to replace him on the ballot this fall.

• Boyfriend, 33, held in slaying
A 33-year-old man was charged with killing his girlfriend following an argument early yesterday in their Long Branch home, authorities said.

• Pastor finds respite in court order, delivers his sermon
Nothing was going to stop Eric Simons from preaching yesterday.

• State calls Rt. 46 plans bridge to a better future
With the promise of 500 jobs, Gov. Jon Corzine yesterday said more than $47 million from the federal economic stimulus package will jump-start a long-overdue bridge upgrade on Route 46 in Ber gen County.

• City apartment fire injures 1 resident
An apartment fire in a Newark building left one man injured yesterday afternoon, authorities said.

• Upwardly mobile homes
Driving east though Lodi on Route 46, New York is visible across the Hudson, a swath of buildings that gleam like Emerald City.

• Foes see tarnish on Christie's sparkling image
Republican gubernatorial candidate Chris Christie isn't known for his budget-cutting skills, or his knack for high finance.

• A new approach to an old math problem
The sixth-graders in Danielle Dragone's math class are learning how to calculate perimeters.

• Enforcers of law sue for right to practice it
They were encouraged by superiors to pursue a law degree, they even received tuition reimbursement, but now New Jersey state troopers who moonlight as attorneys are prohibited from practicing law as long as they work for the state.

• Wind and solar energize dreams, but nuclear powers Jersey
The relicensing last week of the Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station, the nation's oldest nuclear power plant, guarantees that nuclear energy is here to stay in New Jersey, for at least a few more decades, even as state officials continue to push alternative sources of energy.

• Hall of Fame tickets on sale
Tickets are on sale for The New Jersey Hall of Fame's second annual induction ceremony, which will be held May 3 at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark.

• O'Hern recalled as a man of the people
Under a slate sky, more than 600 people gathered yesterday to mourn former state Supreme Court Justice Daniel J. O'Hern in Red Bank, the hometown he adored.

• In Newark, kids scramble for Easter eggs
Dozens of children yesterday lined up on the side of a Newark field, eagerly scanning the vast green sprinkled with hundreds of pastel-colored Easter eggs.

• Former Gov. Byrne recovering from gallbladder surgery
Former Gov. Brendan Byrne re mained hospitalized yesterday after undergoing emergency surgery for an inflamed gallbladder.

• Newark man killed in Turnpike accident
NEWARK:Two city men were charged yesterday with the fatal shooting of 27-year-old Tyshon Hall, who was found with multiple gunshot wounds in his car late last year, authorities said.

• Getting a feel for going green
Leticia De los Angeles, a third-grader from Robert N. Wilentz Elementary School in Perth Amboy, is already invested in making the world a better place.

• Sex offender gets jail for molesting girl, 5
A convicted sex offender whom a judge called "the very definition of a pedophile" was sentenced yesterday to 17 1/2 years in prison for sneaking into the bedroom of 5-year-old Pequannock girl and molesting her on at least two occasions in 2007, telling her he was a doctor.

• 'The very definition of a pedophile' gets prison for molesting girl
A convicted sex offender whom a judge called "the very definition of a pedophile" was sentenced yesterday to 17 1/2 years in prison for sneaking into the bedroom of 5-year-old Pequannock girl and molesting her on at least two occasions in 2007, telling her he was a doctor.

• E. Brunswick teacher denies sex charge
A judge in New Brunswick entered a not-guilty plea yesterday for an East Brunswick teacher who has been charged with improperly touching a student at the Hammarskjold Middle School.

• Boonton jeweler robbed of $300,000 in stones
Boonton police said yesterday they were still looking for two men who pulled off a brazen daylight robbery of Park Jewelers on Main Street.

• Former judge says Coniglio withheld documents in grant probe
Prosecutors concluded their federal corruption case against former state Sen. Joseph Coniglio yesterday, questioning a one-time state ethics committee member who said Coniglio withheld documents from an inquiry into whether he traded public grants for a consulting job.

• Stranded fishermen rescued in Raritan Bay
Three men stranded on a stone jetty after a night of fishing were saved by firefighters early yesterday and a fourth man was rescued after falling into Raritan Bay and drifting a mile from his friends.

• DEP lowers outflow from Lake Hopatcong
Low water levels in Lake Hopatcong have prompted the state to temporarily reduce the amount of water allowed to flow out of the state's largest lake each day, the Department of Environmental Protection announced yesterday.

• Smuggled sea horses seized in Elizabeth
Eighty pounds of dead smuggled sea horses en route from China to Elmhurst, N.Y., were seized from a boat docked at the Elizabeth Seaport by U.S. customs agents who said the shipment violated international trade restrictions on endangered species.

• Students feel pain of Holocaust survivors
Children born more than half a century after a tyrannical leader and his henchmen killed two-thirds of the Jewish population in Europe still can't believe the scope of the atrocities.

• Orange seeks $1M for police computers
After years of system meltdowns, lost files and dropped contact between police officers, the Orange Police Department is asking the federal government for money to bring its antiquated computer system into the 21st century.

• Parsippany school budget would hike taxes
Homeowners in Parsippany could see an increase in their taxes if voters pass the school district's proposed $132 million budget later this month.

• Dogs really dig St. Hubert's new shelter
Officials at St. Hubert's Animal Welfare Center in Chatham Township had dreamed that their non-traditional groundbreaking would jauntily launch the construction of the shelter's new, multimillion dollar expansion: a trio of adopted dogs digging furiously into the field where the new shelter would soon be built.

• Man gets 22 years for manslaughter
NEWARK: A 21-year-old East Orange man yesterday was sen tenced to 22 years in prison for killing an acquaintance with blows from a vehicle anti-theft device after a fight over a $100 debt, the Essex County Prosecutor's Office said.

• 'Pay-to-play' cash keeps on flowing despite economy
Businesses that were paid $5.1 billion by state, local and county agencies last year donated $11.4 million to political candidates and fundraising committees, according to data released yesterday.

• Mourners remember Eric Munoz, a lawmaker and a physician
One of the many yarns friends shared yesterday about surgeon and Assemblyman Eric Munoz involved a nurse who wheels a trauma patient into his ward.

• Newark terminates provisional workers
Newark yesterday fired 35 provisional employees who were told they could no longer fill civil service positions they were hired for, officials said.