The Record, Bergen County, NJ

Clifton, School Board Ok $2m in Budget Cuts [Corrected 06/25/08] ; Current Staff, Fiber-Optic Network Unaffected, Mayor Says

CLIFTON The Board of Education and City Council have agreed to trim the failed school tax levy by $2 million. Taxpayers with homes assessed at the city average of $177,000 can now expect to pay $17 more, or $3,540, in school taxes. Under the original $109 million levy, which voters rejected last month, the increase would have been $151.

Federal Hill Condo Plan Moves Ahead ; but Questions Arise Over Runoff, Traffic

BLOOMINGDALE A court-backed condominium development that would provide housing for people of modest means moved closer to final municipal approval this week. But a few issues, such as the project's effect upon Union Avenue and questions about its storm-water management plan, await further clarification or review from other agencies.

Just for Hubby, She Signed Up with the Gop ; Superior Court Nominee Ok'd After Explaining New Affiliation

Superior Court nominee Lisa Perez-Friscia declared herself a member of the matrimonial wing of the Republican Party last Thursday. Perez-Friscia, 37, told the Senate Judiciary committee that she recently registered as a Republican so she can vote in the June 3 primary for her husband, Michael Friscia, who is running for a second term on the Franklin Lakes Council. Friscia and incumbent Paulette Ramsey are being challenged by Michael Tulp and Charles J.X. Kahwaty.

Team Pays Tribute to Connor Corish ; Don Bosco Athlete Lost Life On Rr Tracks

Nancy and Max Corish took slow steps Saturday morning across the high school field on which they had seen their only son, Connor, play lacrosse so many times. In the middle of the field, in a neat line, the freshman team stood awaiting the couple as a hush fell over the spectators who had gone to see Don Bosco Prep play Mountain Lakes.

Message for Graduates: Get Involved ; Newark Mayor Gives Pep Talk at Ramapo

Newark Mayor Cory Booker encouraged the new graduates of Ramapo College to get involved, much as he did in going to work with the poor in Newark as a young graduate of Yale Law School. "America is not a spectator sport," said Booker, a native of Bergen County. "You've got to get in the game."

Officer Should Not Have Fired, Probe Finds ; Detective Cleared in Another Shooting

An on-duty Passaic County sheriff's officer should not have fired his service weapon last month at a pickup truck in Paterson that struck a pedestrian, an investigation by the county prosecutor has concluded. Meanwhile, investigators cleared a William Paterson University detective of any wrongdoing when she accidentally discharged her weapon during a struggle with a suspected burglar in a campus building, according to the Prosecutor's Office.

Woman Wins $4m for Doc's Mistake ; Colon Was Punctured During Fibroid Removal

A jury awarded $8 million Friday to a Paterson woman who fell ill after her colon was accidentally punctured during a routine gynecological procedure. Latasha McRae, now 27, will receive only $4 million because the jury found that 50 percent of the negligence was attributable to Paterson obstetrician/gynecologist Dr. Charles Haddad.

Seized Autos Are a Steal for Buyers ; Prosecutor, Sheriff Auction 68 Vehicles

HALEDON Grabbing a Mercedes-Benz for a cool $4,000 might be a pipe dream on most auto lots, but it happened at the Passaic County Prosecutor's Office impound lot on Friday. Nader Bachkhaz, a security guard from Pompton Lakes, bested about 20 other bidders at the office's public auction for a green four- door 1998 E320 with 110,000 miles. It was seized last year in a drug bust.

Click It or Ticket Season Is Upon Us

The annual Click It or Ticket blitz begins Monday, so here are a few tips that might help you get through the sea of blue designed to foist on you the same kind of $46 ticket that Governor Corzine received a year ago: Tip No. 1: Stay away from Route 4 at North Midland Avenue in Fair Lawn from 6 to 9 a.m. Monday. That's where police will kick off the annual seat-belt-buckling "education campaign" in North Jersey. Simultaneous campaigns get under way in Cranford and Atlantic City, then sweep th...

Paramus Seeks to Tax County ; Asks for Up to $4m On Med Center Land

PARAMUS Borough officials want the county to pay up to $4 million in back taxes for a hospital they say is run by a for- profit entity. Paramus has granted Bergen Regional Medical Center tax-exempt status for years, but now, Paramus officials have filed a tax appeal requesting that the county start making payments on the land.

'Eyesore' Will Be Replaced in Swap ; Mixed-Use Building Ok'd in Westwood

WESTWOOD A borough-approved land swap will allow a developer to build a three-story mixed-use building on a municipal parking lot. Four old buildings, at Center and Jefferson avenues, will be demolished to make way for the building, which will house offices on the first and second floors and three two-bedroom apartments on the third floor.

Video Update - Sgt William 'Bill' Koretsky

What has happened: Bergen County Police Sgt. William "Bill" Koretsky lost his leg when his motorcycle collided with a box truck on Route 9W in Orangetown, N.Y., on Feb. 7 following a funeral procession for the son of a fellow officer. Several local officers participated in the procession, which started at an Old Tappan church and continued to a cemetery in Fort Lee. What's new: Since the accident, Koretsky has moved to New Mexico and remarried his wife, Helen Gonzales, on St. Patrick's Day. K...

Global Classes Provide Broader View of Future ; High Schools Turn to Rigorous International Program

New Jersey high schools with an eye on the future are exploring a classic international curriculum: the International Baccalaureate. The IB program, a rigorous course of academics that leads to a diploma recognized around the world, was designed to prepare students for tough college work while instilling an international mind-set. It was founded in 1968 in Switzerland to provide a standard measure of academic quality for diplomats' children.

Like a Huck Finn On the Hackensack ; Author Returns to Scene of His Youthful Exploits

More than 50 years after Gordon Bishop moved away from Hackensack, he returned to his old stomping grounds Saturday to regale an audience at Johnson Public Library with tales of his adventurous youth. A longtime New Jersey newspaper man, who still has a syndicated column, Bishop, 70, read excerpts from his latest book, "The Hacky" eight "true short stories," about himself and his older, by 11 months, brother, Edward. All are set in 1949, when the author was 11 years old.

Omg! It's the Jonas Brothers at the Mall

Elizabeth Ann Hurley, Newseum Official, at 46

WASHINGTON Elizabeth Ann Hurley, programs coordinator at the Newseum and a former USA Today editor, died of breast cancer April 29 at her home in suburban Falls Church, Va. She was 46. Ms. Hurley was born in Boston and grew up in Dayton, Ohio. She graduated from the University of Dayton in 1982. She worked on the copy desks of the Dayton Daily News and the Cincinnati Enquirer before joining USA Today in 1986 to work on the newspaper's international edition.

Ruth Simpson; 1970s Pioneer of Gay Rights ; Led a Budding Movement to Openness, Bold Activism

Ruth Simpson, a leader in the gay liberation movement who wrote a well-regarded critique of social and political attitudes toward lesbians in the 1970s, died May 8 in Woodstock, N.Y., after a series of illnesses. She was 82. Ms. Simpson became prominent in 1970, when she led the New York chapter of Daughters of Bilitis, the oldest U.S. lesbian-rights organization. As president, she began to steer it in a more activist direction, which included establishing one of the first lesbian community c...

Thundering Treat From Above ; Army Helicopter Steals the Show at Health Fair

CLIFTON - The 19th Annual Child Health and Safety Fair provided a dose of shock and awe on Saturday courtesy of a local firefighter who piloted a Black Hawk helicopter. Army Chief Warrant Officer George P. Anglim, a Clifton firefighter for more than 10 years, said landing the aircraft as part of the Fire Department's most visible event was his way of expressing appreciation to the community for its support during his deployments to Iraq.