The Record, Bergen County, NJ

Broker Will Admit Guilt, Help Probe of Law Firm

A retired real estate mortgage broker from Englewood could give the government its big break in a six-year investigation into a prominent New York securities class-action firm. Howard J. Vogel, 61, said he plans to plead guilty later this month in federal court to taking $2.4 million in kickbacks from Milberg Weiss Bershad & Schulman of New York City after it listed him, his wife and his stepson as representative plaintiffs in 40 class-action suits.

Peter Altenbach, Councilman Who Helped Beautify Norwood

NORWOOD At the corner of Livingston Street and Broadway stands a 16-foot-tall black and gold street clock, erected in large part because of the efforts of one man Peter Altenbach. Councilman Altenbach, a lifelong Norwood resident and community activist, died suddenly on Sunday night at Englewood Hospital. He was 67.

Bergen Mall Plan Underestimates Effect On Traffic by 20%, Expert Says

PARAMUS A traffic expert told the Board of Adjustment that traffic estimates for a revitalized Bergen Mall are 20 percent too low. Hal Simoff, a traffic engineer who is testifying for the borough, told the board last week that traffic estimates are "understated."

Paul Spiegel; Led Jews in Germany

BERLIN Paul Spiegel, who fled the Nazis as a child during World War II and later became the head of Germany's main Jewish organization, has died. He was 68. Mr. Spiegel died of cancer in a hospital in Duesseldorf, a Central Council of Jews official said.

Obituaries

DORIS M. CHISMALL BARNES, 78, of Leonia died Monday. Arrangements: Oakland Memorial Home. MERI E. L. BERG, 91, of Ringwood died Sunday. She was born in Finland. Arrangements: Richards Funeral Home, Riverdale.

West Paterson Loses Unused Open-Space Money

WEST PATERSON The state has rescinded a $250,000 low-interest loan to preserve open space at the old Morris Canal because the borough has not used the money, state officials said Monday. The state Green Acres Program, which provides money to municipalities and counties to preserve open space, has repealed more than $23 million in loans and grants to 50 municipalities statewide that failed to use allocated funds, said Elaine Makatura, spokeswoman for the Department of Environmental Protection.

Sale of Reservoir Brings $6.5m, Divides Officials ; Investing Vs. Paying Debt in Haledon

HALEDON The expected sale this year of the Haledon Reservoir to Franklin Lakes for $6.5 million is the borough's biggest land sale on record. It's also, perhaps, the biggest windfall of revenue in the borough's history and members of the Borough Council are disagreeing on what to do with it. Mayor Kenneth Pengitore thinks the entire sum should be invested in financial markets, but two council members said $500,000 should be used to pay off debt related to the new municipal building.

How to Cut Costs by Spending $125,000 ; Fresh From Tax Hike, County Set to Hire Efficiency Expert

Passaic County officials have pledged to make government more economically efficient. And to do that, they say, they have to spend $125,000. Soon after introducing the 2006 $366 million county budget, which included a 12 percent tax increase for property owners, the Board of Freeholders resolved to allocate $125,000 to a southern New Jersey consulting firm, led by Edward H. Salmon, a former state lawmaker with 26 years' government experience, to conduct a yearlong management study of county d...

Bergen County Briefs

Meadowlands project saved LYNDHURST A Meadowlands preservation project will continue, thanks to $3.66 million from the federal government, Rep. Steve Rothman, D-Fair Lawn, and the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission announced Monday.

Applause

Mail items to Cathy Krzeczkowski, The Record, 1 Garret Mountain Plaza, West Paterson, NJ 07424-0471; e-mail to krzeczkowski@northjersey.com; or fax to (973) 569-7766. NORTH JERSEY

Cops Defend Colleagues ; Rally Supports Jail Workers Who Allege Mistreatment

MORRISTOWN Carrying protest signs, more than 200 law enforcement officers from around the state flexed their union muscle Monday in support of six Morris County jail employees who say their workplace rights were violated. Five corrections officers and one former captain have filed federal lawsuits saying they were penalized with bad shifts, suspensions or fewer sick days for speaking out against unfair job practices. The pending lawsuits name as defendants Sheriff Edward Rochford, Warden Fra...

Judge Orders School Race Recount ; Delays Hearing On Losing Incumbent's Suit

A state judge on Monday ordered a full recount of the April 18 Paterson school board election before he'll allow a suit by an unseated candidate who is calling for a new election to proceed. In the meantime, state Superior Court Judge Thomas F. Brogan said the county Board of Elections can certify the results, as is, so that newly elected members can be sworn in. The judge last week had ordered that certification be delayed until the outcome of the case, but lifted that stay and will hear Jua...

On Alert for Gas Station Bandits ; Cop Interrupts Heist at a Route 3 Sunoco

CLIFTON A team of four gas station robbers remained at large Monday after two of them took fire from an officer during a weekend getaway, police said. Sgt. William Gibson was nearly run down while interrupting the apparent robbery plot Saturday night at a Sunoco station on Route 3, police said. Gibson fired one shot at the getaway car's window, but it appeared that neither occupant was hit, Detective Capt. Robert Rowan said.

Ringwood Names Write-in Vote Winner

RINGWOOD On a margin of just two votes, Earl Axelrod will be sworn in tonight to fill a Ringwood seat on the Lakeland Regional school board. Axelrod was certified to a three-year term by the Passaic County Clerk's Office, topping a large field of write-in candidates with nine votes.

Reputed Mob Boss Had Caveat in Guilty Plea ; Squitieri Wouldn't Admit Gambino Link

ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS - He admitted to racketeering and extorting money from businesses. But there was one item Arnold "Zeke" Squitieri would not acknowledge: that he committed those crimes as a member of the Gambino crime family. Squitieri, 70, the reputed acting boss of the Gambino family, pleaded guilty two weeks ago in exchange for a deal that would land him in prison for less than eight years when he is sentenced on July 28. The only caveat was that he needed to be assured he could keep "the ...

Fair Lawn Seeks Paid Ambulance Service ; Hopes Volunteers Can Rebuild Ranks

FAIR LAWN The borough will seek a yearlong contract with a paid ambulance service to supplement volunteer service, effectively giving the volunteer corps time to rebuild its membership, officials said. The borough started advertising for the paid service Monday and expects to sign a one-year contract next month, said Borough Manager Tom Metzler. The bid specifications do not include a retainer fee; the company will be expected to collect payment directly from customers' insurance plans.

New Communications Era Starts ; Secaucus Police Dispatch Center Gets Grant to Overhaul Consoles

SECAUCUS The communications consoles in the police dispatch center are so old that one had to be cannibalized just to keep the two other workstations going. "It's outdated, and you can't even get the parts for it no more," Police Chief Dennis Corcoran told Rep. Steve Rothman, D-Fair Lawn, during a tour Monday.

Bergen Gop Hopeful Ends Race ; Ex-Official Had Plea Deal in Sexual-Contact Case

A former Hackensack official withdrew his candidacy for the Republican County Committee on Monday after questions arose over a criminal plea deal that barred him from holding public office. Tom Toscano was sentenced to probation and prohibited from holding office in 2003 as part of a deal reached with prosecutors. He was charged with criminal sexual contact and admitted in court to groping a woman while promising her a city job.

'God Was Right Next to Me' ; Holocaust Survivor Tells Students of Her Strength

As Mila Bachner spoke to Teaneck High School students Monday about the horrors she endured during the Holocaust, Assistant Principal Steve Heisler listened with particular interest. Heisler's parents also survived the Holocaust. Before Bachner's talk, Heisler learned that Bachner and his late mother, Sylvia, were interned at the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in Germany when British troops liberated the camp on April 15, 1945.

Firefighter Ends Career As Hero ; Saves Woman's Life On Last Night of Duty in Teaneck

TEANECK The clock inched toward the end of John Carroll's 25 years as a township firefighter when the alarm sounded Sunday night. So Carroll set aside the mundane paperwork that occupied much of the first half of his final 24-hour shift and jumped on the truck.