The Record, Bergen County, NJ

Suspect in Fla. Girl's Death Ordered Held Without Bail

SARASOTA, Fla. - The mechanic charged with kidnapping and killing an 11-year-old girl whose abduction was caught on a carwash surveillance camera was ordered held without bond Saturday as the community formed a makeshift memorial outside the victim's home. Joseph P. Smith, who has been arrested at least 13 times in Florida since 1993, waived his first court appearance in the slaying of Carlie Brucia a day after her body was pulled from thick underbrush in a church parking lot.

Opening Arguments On Tap in Williams Manslaughter Trial

SOMERVILLE - At first, lawyers for Jayson Williams labored to keep the retired NBA star from standing trial on charges he killed a limousine driver at his mansion nearly two years ago. When a second manslaughter indictment stuck, they filed a blizzard of legal briefs aimed at limiting what the jury will hear. They succeeded in suppressing some damaging testimony, including evidence that Williams killed a pet Rottweiler with a shotgun six months before the shotgun slaying of Costas "Gus" Chris...

Billions Hinge On Twin Towers Trial ; Insurance Would Double If Verdict Is 2 Attacks

NEW YORK - More than two years after terrorists flew jetliners into the World Trade Center, a federal jury will begin deciding whether a developer can claim insurance based on one or two attacks. Opening statements begin Monday in a trial pitting trade center developer Larry Silverstein against 13 of his insurers. The outcome will determine whether he will receive $3.5 billion or about $7 billion to rebuild at Ground Zero.

Bomb Squad Called On to Blow Up Ice Floes

NORTH PLAINFIELD - Union County officials summoned the bomb squad to defuse a delicate situation involving Mother Nature. Explosives technicians blasted ice chunks that had dammed the flood-prone Green Brook and caused it to spill from its banks.

Anthrax-Tainted Postal Facility May Reopen Soon

HAMILTON - U.S. Postal Service officials are expected to announce the results of decontamination efforts at the mail distribution center where at least four anthrax-laced letters were handled in 2001. Postal officials would not comment before the planned Monday announcement. But Nick Manetto, a spokesman for Rep. Chris Smith, R- Mercer, told The Times of Trenton good news was expected by the congressman, in whose district the postal facility is located.

Pilot Urged Fliers to Discuss Religion ; Asked Christians to Raise Hands

NEW YORK - An American Airlines pilot flying passengers to New York asked Christians on board to identify themselves and suggested the non-Christians discuss the faith with them, a spokesman for the airline said Saturday. Flight 34 was headed from Los Angeles to John F. Kennedy Airport on Friday afternoon, said spokesman Tim Wagner. The pilot, whose identity was not released, had been making flight announcements and then asked that the Christians on board raise their hands, Wagner said.

Rift On Gay Marriage Widens ; Massachusetts Justices Seem to Toughen Their Stances On Issue

BOSTON - The Massachusetts high court's initial ruling in favor of gay marriage came by the slimmest of majorities, giving lawmakers hope that a proposal for Vermont-style civil unions would persuade at least one justice to swing the balance of power and soften the court's stand. Instead, a follow-up opinion shows the four-member majority of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court even more unequivocal and united in their stand that nothing short of marriage of same-sex couples will pass con...

South Plays Catch-Up On Hiv ; Region's Rate Is Growing

SILER CITY, N.C. - Adolfo Aguilar walks toward a chicken processing plant and heads turn skeptically. Few people are willing to acknowledge the bald guy with the goatee, blue sneakers, and sack full of condoms. But soon, factory workers quietly pull Aguilar aside for whispered words in Spanish and handfuls of the mint, chocolate, and cola-flavored condoms.

9/11 Panel Interviews Bush Security Adviser ; Rice Helpful, but Calls Continue for Public Testimony

WASHINGTON - The independent commission reviewing the Sept. 11 attacks met with President Bush's national security adviser Saturday in an interview commissioners described as candid and productive. Condoleezza Rice met with the commission privately for four hours at the White House to discuss what the administration could have done to prevent the attacks.

When Dad's Not the Real Father ; Dna Test Can Turn Doubts Into Anguish

The first time it happens, Patrick McCarthy figures his ex-wife is only spewing venom. Her words can't possibly be true. Their daughter is already 14, with a dimpled smile and straight brown hair that look just like his. She spends vacations and every other weekend at his place in North Plainfield, and photos of her decorate his office and hang on the living room wall. He cheers at her softball games and brags to co-workers about her gymnastic feats.

'Irrelevant' N.J. Is Just Campaign Money Stop

Photogenic, persuasive, and pursuing the nation's highest office, North Carolina Sen. John Edwards would seem to have little reason to avoid publicity. But when the Democratic presidential candidate paid a visit to New Jersey last week, his arrival was only slightly more heralded than that of a federal witness.

He Let His Finger Do the Talking ; Bergen Tourist Jailed in Brazil

SAO PAULO, Brazil - In a country of colorful self-expression, an upraised middle finger landed a Franklin Lakes man in a Brazilian jail. Douglas A. Skolnick, a retired Wall Street businessman who lives on Stonewall Court, became the second American to pay a hefty fine for making an obscene gesture during fingerprinting procedures for U.S. citizens in Brazil, police said Saturday.

Kerry Adds Two More Victories ; Takes 50% in Caucuses While Dean Finishes 2nd

Sen. John Kerry won crushing victories in the Michigan and Washington caucuses on Saturday, trouncing his rivals for the Democratic presidential nomination and launching a sharp attack against President Bush. The Democratic front-runner by far, Kerry fashioned his latest victories by outsized margins.

Bypass Operation ; Web Sites Selling Drugs Without Doctor Exams

The Web sites and the e-mailed spam cluttering inboxes every day are unabashed and often brazen: "Cheap Xanax, Valium, Viagra."

Taking Hybrid for a Spin Recharges My Batteries

Eat your hearts out, you Jaguar snobs and SUV hogs. The Road Warrior turned in his Nissan Maxima for the gotta-have-it gas-and- electric hybrid that has thrown Hollywood into rapture and Detroit into overdrive. For much of 36 hours, we squired a $21,000 Toyota Prius along New Jersey's pockmarked highways and byways to see what all the fuss is about Motor Trend's Car of the Year, the same vehicle that made Car and Driver's top 10 list. Why would Leonardo DiCaprio, who can afford something a bi...

People in the News

Rebirth of the blues Howard Tate is making the most of his second chance.

Freeholder Begins Campaign to Save Continental Arena

With the announcement of a deal to build a $300 million arena in Newark expected within days, Freeholder Elizabeth Randall on Saturday called on Bergen County officials to fight to keep Continental Arena open. There appears to be mounting political pressure to close the 23- year-old East Rutherford arena and make the Newark arena the only large indoor venue for sports, concerts, and family entertainment in North Jersey, the freeholder said.

For the Birds - and Proud of It ; Counters Get Tips for Annual Backyard Tally

Yellow finches were the first to arrive when Peter Heber initially put out some birdseed in his back yard. "Then, before you knew it, I got all these pretty birds coming," said Heber, who now has three bird feeders at his East Rutherford home and sometimes watches from a hammock with his son.

Volunteers Wash Oil From Dozens of Birds

NEWARK, Del. - Dozens of ocean birds are being cleaned in Delaware after being saved from an oil spill off the New Jersey coast. Trained volunteers at Tri-State Bird Rescue & Research Inc. in Newark have been washing the birds, which were rescued after an unknown amount of No. 6 fuel oil was apparently spilled by a passing ship, killing 70 birds.

Train Derails, Hazardous Acid Leaks

ELKTON, Md. - A train carrying hazardous material derailed Saturday, causing about 50 people to be evacuated, police said. No one was injured. The 72-car CSX train was traveling to Philadelphia from Richmond, Va., when about 35 cars came off the tracks about midday in Cecil County, about eight miles west of Newark, Del., CSX spokesman Dan Murphy said.