The Record, Bergen County, NJ

Clifton Gets Fema Aid for Nor'easter

CLIFTON The city is one of seven New Jersey communities to receive federal emergency money to cover costs incurred during the April nor'easter. Clifton has been awarded an $82,498 grant by the Federal Emergency Management Agency to reimburse the city's costs, according to a press release from Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr., D-Paterson.

Defiant Mayor Returns to Work ; He Accuses Feds of Fixing Evidence

PASSAIC Mayor Sammy Rivera denied it all Friday, saying FBI agents lied, federal investigators rigged conversation tapes and that he certainly never took a bribe. A day after FBI agents shackled Rivera and 11 others on charges of extortion and bribery, he sat behind his desk in the mayor's office, dressed in a beige suit and tie, his hair neatly combed. He conducted normal mayoral duties, and responded in detail to questions about the corruption case.

Rivera Built His Power Base with Tough Talk, Patronage

Sammy Rivera rose to power in Passaic by reaching down to his Latino roots while reaching out to old timers in the Polish neighborhoods and newcomers in the city's growing Orthodox Jewish community. In becoming the city's first Latino mayor in 2001, the brash and tough-talking ex-cop was backed by a coalition of Latinos and Jews, two groups on the opposite sides of the political tracks. Many of those constituents continued to stand by the mayor as he returned to his City Hall office on Friday.

Clinton Impresses N.J. Democrats at Party Pep Rally ; 'One of the Smartest,' Corzine Says

New Jersey Democrats - reeling from a fresh round of corruption accusations - laid down the welcome mat Friday for Hillary Clinton at a party pep rally in Atlantic City. The U.S. senator from New York and presidential candidate was the headliner for the state Democratic Party convention at Bally's Atlantic City the day after two North Jersey lawmakers were snared in a bribery ring that also netted nine other public officials, nearly all Democrats.

Nicaraguans Feel Anguish, Anger in Wake of Felix ; Blame Government's Late Warning

PUERTO CABEZAS, Nicaragua Hundreds gathered Friday on a beach in a remote jungle to mourn the victims of Hurricane Felix and condemn the government for not looking hard enough for survivors. Tensions are rising between residents of the autonomous region hit by the storm and the central government as villagers complain they weren't given enough warning about the monster storm and are getting little aid in its aftermath.

'Safe' Anbar Claims Lives of 4 Marines ; Bush Cited Province's Security; 3 Soldiers Also Killed in Iraq

BAGHDAD The U.S. military on Friday announced the deaths of seven more American troops in combat, including four in Anbar province, the Sunni stronghold where U.S. officials say a tribal revolt against al-Qaida in Iraq has brought dramatic improvements in security. A U.S. statement said four Marines assigned to Multinational Force-West were killed Thursday in combat in Anbar, but gave no further details.

Bin Laden, in Video, Tells U.S. To 'Embrace Islam' ; Footage, If Verified, Is First Since 2004

CAIRO, Egypt Osama bin Laden appeared for the first time in three years in a video Friday released ahead of the sixth anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, telling Americans they should convert to Islam if they want the war in Iraq to end. The 30-minute video was obtained by the SITE Institute, a Washington-based group that monitors terror messages. American officials said the U.S. government had obtained a copy earlier and intelligence agencies were studying the video to determine whether it...

Disbarred Da in Duke Case Spends Night in Jail ; 3 Lacrosse Players Accused of Rape Sue City for $30m

DURHAM, N.C. Mike Nifong, the disbarred former district attorney who spent a career sending people to jail, will be a free man this morning after 24 hours behind bars. As he departs, the fallen prosecutor will once again face a crush of TV camera crews and reporters like the one that greeted him upon his arrival at the Durham County jail on Friday.

Around the Nation

Congress to give medal to DeBakey WASHINGTON Congress is poised to bestow its highest honor on legendary Texas heart surgeon Michael DeBakey, with sponsors announcing Friday his 99th birthday that they had collected enough signatures to ensure he will soon get a Congressional Gold Medal for his pioneering research.

Walk to Benefit Special Needs Kids

PARAMUS A Bergen County program that pairs teens with special needs children will hold a 5-kilometer walk at Garden State Plaza on Sunday. The Friendship Circle of Bergen County is trying to raise awareness for children with special needs.

Prospect Park Throwing First Block Party in Years ; Many Special Activities Scheduled Today

PROSPECT PARK It has been more than seven years since the last block party was held in the borough. What once was an annual tradition will return to the borough for the first time today. The party will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on North 10th Street and Brown Avenue next to the municipal building.

Democrats Pick a Replacement to Run for Mayor

FORT LEE Democratic Party officials have tapped borough Councilman Mark J. Sokolich to run for mayor in place of the incumbent, Jack Alter, who died Aug. 27 at age 79. Sokolich, a real estate attorney, will face Republican Judith Waters Fisher in the November election. Sokolich was appointed to the council in 2004 to fill the seat vacated by Councilwoman Joan Voss, who resigned. He was elected to a full term later that year and was reelected last year.

Defense Contractor, Four People Plead Guilty

NEWARK A defense contractor and four people, including a West Milford man, admitted manufacturing thousands of substandard air filters for the Army's main battle tank, putting soldiers and Marines at risk, federal authorities said Friday. Parmatic Filter Corp. of Branchville entered the guilty plea in U.S. District in Newark on Thursday and faces up to $500,000 in fines when it is sentenced on Dec. 10. The company, formerly of Denville, will also be ordered to repay the nearly $8 million spe...

Ramsey Man Faces Child Porn, Burglary Charges

SADDLE RIVER A Ramsey man faces child pornography charges for allegedly breaking into an office where he used to work as a cleaner and using a computer there to download and view illicit images of children, authorities said. Scott O. Burns, 36, a dishwasher, had been fired from a professional cleaning business, but had kept a key to the Saddle River office of one of its clients, Bergen County Prosecutor John Molinelli said Friday. The owner of that business, which was not identified, called ...

Two Men Rob Clifton Store, Assault Employee

CLIFTON Authorities are looking for two men who robbed a music and electronics store of cash and several video game consoles as it opened Friday morning, police said. The female employee at f.y.e. on Bloomfield Avenue, in the Styertown Shopping Center near Route 3, was assaulted and tied up with adhesive tape by two hooded males, who then fled, possibly in a white box truck, said police Capt. Robert Rowan.

Dormwear Gets a Store of Its Own ; Aerie Raises Fashion Trend to a New Level

Teen apparel chain American Eagle Outfitters Inc. has a strategy for tapping into the lucrative lingerie market - create a clothing category called "dormwear" and build a store around it. American Eagle named the new concept Aerie - spelled all lowercase on signs, ads and shopping bags - and opened the first store a year ago in Greenville, S.C. The company is moving rapidly to build the brand. It opened its 15th Aerie store this week at Westfield Garden State Plaza in Paramus, and it plans to...

Cat Squalor Voids Sale of House ; Neighbor Was Unaware of Filthy Conditions Inside

The restaurateur who bought a Saddle River home just days before 150 cats were found to be living there in filth will be allowed to back out of the sale, a Superior Court judge ruled Friday. Michael Acciardi, 47, agreed to pay $2.6 million for the 20-room house on Burning Hollow Road at a sheriff's sale on Aug. 10. Four days later, authorities acting on a tip from a DHL courier rescued the first of the cats and six dogs that were found roaming the interior of the house, which was strewn wit...

High School Football Is Back

2007 High School Football Kickoff Classic Today at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford 1 p.m.: St. Peter's Prep vs. Delbarton 4 p.m.: St. Joseph vs. Xaverian (N.Y.) 7 p.m.: Bergen Catholic vs. Phillipsburg Friday Night Final

Busted Lawmakers Told to Quit ; Corzine Blasts Pair Caught in Sting

Get out. Now. Governor Corzine and fellow top Democrats told a pair of North Jersey lawmakers to leave office Friday, a day after they were charged in a widespread FBI bribery sting. Corzine further asked for the resignations of two Democratic senators indicted in earlier criminal cases.

An 'I Do' That Was Long Overdue ; Library Wedding Caps 18-Year Courtship

Michele Skowronski and Herb Baumgart met in the library, fell in love in the library and got engaged in the library. So it seemed fitting that on Friday night, the 48-year-old librarian and 52-year-old auto mechanic would get married in the Cliffside Park borough library - where their love story began 18 years ago.