The Record, Bergen County, NJ

Eleanor Harvey, at 97; Champion of Englewood's People and Past [Corrected 07/31/07]

Eleanor Harvey, a lifelong Englewood resident and the Historical Society founder who championed and celebrated the city at every turn and didn't take no for an answer died Sunday. She was 97 and had suffered a stroke last year.

Seniors' Gifts Lift Spirits of Our Troops

LODI - More than 30 grocery bags full of toiletries, snacks and keepsakes were deployed from the Senior Citizens Club on Tuesday to comfort soldiers serving in Iraq - sent by people who had supported U.S. troops on many previous occasions. Phyllis Gruberman, a recent retiree and new member of the club's executive board, spearheaded the drive during the past seven weeks for goods needed by the soldiers.

Towns Seek Aid in Paying Back a School Debt ; Tax Glitch Led to $400,000 Bill

NORTH HALEDON The mayors of three municipalities that send children to Manchester Regional High School are trying to get Trenton to help pay for a school-tax error state officials made. The mayors of Haledon and Prospect Park will meet with representatives of Governor Corzine's office Friday regarding how to repay North Haledon $400,000 the state says the borough overpaid in its contributions toward Manchester for the 2006-07 school year. North Haledon's mayor, Randy George, said he will not...

Neighborhood for Sale or Rent ; Residents Don't Blame Floods, but Want Out

LITTLE FALLS At least a dozen for-rent or for-sale signs have sprouted up on front lawns in one neighborhood damaged during April's nor'easter. But the homeowners, near the Passaic River, have insisted that recurrent flooding isn't what has motivated them. The residents cited a host of other reasons, including needing a bigger house, high property taxes and even a spouse's recent death.

Old Tappan to Repair Its Sinking Roads ; Expects to Recoup Cost of Fixing Bad Sewer Work

OLD TAPPAN Officials have decided to move forward with a $295,000 road improvement program to fix faulty work by a bankrupt sewer contractor. "The roads are just sinking; they're in really bad shape," Borough Administrator Mary Carmenini said. "The trenches that were dug by the Marbell sewer company were not filled and compacted properly, and therefore they're sinking. And some places it's getting pretty bad."

Pair of Restaurants Face Alcohol-Sale Charges

POMPTON LAKES Two Mexican restaurants face a possible shutdown after being charged with selling alcohol without a license. Police and the state Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control last Friday raided Salena's and Mary's, two restaurants across the street from each other on Wanaque Avenue. Authorities recovered from both restaurants a total of 30 cases of beer and several bottles of tequila, police said. Shot glasses also were taken, police said.

Court Backs Trailer Parks On Redevelopment Plan

LODI A state appeals court sided with a trailer park community Tuesday against the borough's recently abandoned attempt to redevelop the area through eminent domain. The six-page ruling came almost as an afterthought following the Borough Council's decision last week to drop its five-year legal battle against the neighborhood. It also follows last month's landmark ruling by the state Supreme Court that property must be blighted and not merely unproductive for it to be seized for private deve...

Lawmakers Seek a Lasting Fix for Open-Space Fund

New Jersey should spend $3.8 billion over the next decade to help preserve endangered woods in Paramus, a park in Fair Lawn and other parcels across the state, three Bergen County legislators said on Tuesday. Under the majestic pines of a recently preserved River Vale property, the lawmakers joined environmental activists to endorse the plan, which would shore up New Jersey's nearly bankrupt open- space fund.

Ford Lawsuit Going to State Court ; Ringwood Residents Hail Judge's Reversal

The multimillion-dollar claim by Upper Ringwood residents against Ford Motor Co. is headed for state court after a judge ultimately rejected Ford's arguments that the lawsuit should be heard at the federal level. The decision, made public this week, was treated as good news by the residents and their attorneys, who adhere to the belief that the state system is more pro-citizen and pro-environment than federal courts.

Judge Wants to See Plans for Fire-Damaged Building

WESTWOOD A state Superior Court judge ordered the owner of a damaged building to submit renovation plans to the borough before he will determine whether the owner can proceed without approval from local boards. The property owner, Richard Schmidt, filed suit against Westwood several weeks ago seeking permission from the court to build without going before Westwood's planning and zoning boards.

Kinnelon Sets Hearing On Drug Test Policy

KINNELON The school board is considering a random alcohol- and drug-testing policy. Those in favor said it's a progressive move stressing intervention and rehabilitation. Others have expressed concerns about privacy, whether it'll truly be random and the effects on students. "The board's purpose," said board President Dr. Allen Kirk, who favors testing, "is solely for the health and safety of the student, not to punish him."

The Constant Gardener ; Glen Rock Arboretum Blossoms Under Director's Green Thumb

A stagnant, murky pond, a smattering of plants and patches of fallen trees and branches. That was the state of the Glen Rock Arboretum more than a decade ago.

State Inspector Quits in Deal Over Fraud Charges

An Englewood man gave up his job as a special investigator with the New Jersey Attorney General's Office on Tuesday and entered the state's Pretrial Intervention program after being accused of forging a mortgage application. Raymond Hayling II, 32, who was paid $107,382 annually, was suspended from his job without pay in May. Hayling also agreed Tuesday to forfeit unpaid, part-time state positions as a deputy director of the Office of Information Technology and an interoperability officer wit...

Caution Signs Coming to Site of Girl's Death

PATERSON Roadside signs cautioning drivers to slow down and watch out for children will soon be erected along the stretch of McBride Avenue where a 6-year-old girl was struck and killed by a car, Mayor Joey Torres said. After speaking with a friend of the family of Kayla Jones, who died July 12, Torres said he agreed to have the city Department of Public Works install signs that will alert drivers to the presence of children in the area.

North Jersey Briefs

Open-space tax to be on the ballot CLIFTON On Election Day, Nov. 6, voters will have their say on a new open-space tax proposed by the City Council.

Pequannock Man Held On Charges of Sexually Assaulting Child

PEQUANNOCK A township man has been charged with repeatedly sexually assaulting a child. William Christensen, 45, was being held Tuesday in the Morris County Jail on $100,000 bail, after his arrest Monday. He is charged with "numerous alleged acts of sexual penetration and sexual contact" with a youth in Pequannock between 2003 and 2006, according to the Morris County Prosecutor's Office.

'For Once in My Life' Songwriter Ron Miller, 74

SANTA MONICA, Calif. Songwriter Ron Miller, whose tunes included pop classics "Touch Me in the Morning" and "For Once in My Life," has died, his daughter said. Mr. Miller died Monday of cardiac arrest at Santa Monica UCLA Medical Center after a long battle with emphysema and cancer, Lisa Dawn Miller said. He was 74.

Albert Ellis, 93; Founder of Psychotherapy Institute

NEW YORK Albert Ellis, one of the most provocative figures in modern psychology and the founder of a renowned psychotherapy institute, died Tuesday at age 93. He died from kidney and heart failure after a long illness, said his wife, Debbie Joffe Ellis.

Cinematographer Laszlo Kovacs ; Cameraman for 'Easy Rider'

LOS ANGELES Laszlo Kovacs, the Hungarian-born cinematographer who found international fame after treating the American landscape as a character in the landmark 1969 movie "Easy Rider," has died. He was 74. Mr. Kovacs, a former Budapest film student who arrived in the United States as a political refugee in 1957, died in his sleep Sunday at his Beverly Hills home, said his wife, Audrey.

Soprano Teresa Stich-Randall, 79 ; Sang in Operas in U.S., Europe

VIENNA, Austria American opera singer Teresa Stich-Randall, a soprano praised by Arturo Toscanini as "the find of the century," has died. She was 79. Ms. Stich-Randall died July 17 in Vienna, where she had spent most of her professional career, Austria's Bundestheater said Tuesday. No cause of death was given.