The Record, Bergen County, NJ

Politics, Under a Cloud ; Probe Adds New Level of Tension to Community Events

The embattled Democratic mayor of Ridgefield and the Republican nominee for lieutenant governor attended the same picnic Tuesday night, while the two main gubernatorial candidates came within minutes of a possible face-to-face showdown in the streets of Union City. Lieutenant governor candidate Kimberly Guadagno kept her distance from Mayor Anthony Suarez at the National Night Out Against Crime event in Ridgefield. As Suarez spooned out coleslaw and hugged supporters, Guadagno, the Monmouth C...

Dancing Up a Storm

Correction

Save a Life and Stop On Red

It's National Stop on Red Week. The Federal Highway Administration is promoting the event with the intent of stressing the importance of stopping at red lights and safe driving. Motorists are more likely to get in an accident caused by a driver running a red light than in any other type of crash. In 2007, drivers running red lights caused more than 900 deaths and 154,000 injuries nationally -- 57 of those deaths and at least 9,000 injuries occurred in intersection crashes in New Jersey. Some ...

Homicides Down 24 Percent so Far This Year ; Anti-Violence Measures Aimed at Gang Activity Work, Corzine Says

The number of homicides in New Jersey dropped 24 percent during the first six months of this year, Governor Corzine announced Tuesday. The Democratic governor credited the decline to a statewide anti- violence initiative focused on gang activity.

Arena Foes Seek to Block Nets' Move ; Ask Court to Review Brooklyn Site's 'Blighted' Label

The Nets' longstanding effort to move to Brooklyn ran into another potential legal hurdle on Tuesday, as a group opposed to the Atlantic Yards arena and housing project announced it has filed papers seeking to have the "blighted" designation of the area invalidated. The Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn group asked the New York Court of Appeals to review whether a state agency has demonstrated so much "bias and corruption" that its description of the proposed Barclays Center arena site cannot be...

Waiting for a Big Break

3 Charged with Election Fraud in '07 Case

Three more people were indicted Tuesday on election fraud charges in connection with Democratic state Sen. Teresa Ruiz's 2007 campaign. "We charge that these campaign workers fraudulently submitted absentee ballots on behalf of residents who never received the ballots or had an opportunity to cast their votes," Attorney General Anne Milgram said.

Nj Transit Chief Defends Share of Federal Aid ; Urges Congress Not to Withhold Funds for Efficiency

NJ Transit's executive director on Tuesday urged Congress not to punish his agency and the state for consistently dedicating money to upgrading equipment by giving a bigger share of federal aid to systems that let a maintenance backlog grow. The Federal Transit Administration reported in April that the nation's seven largest transit systems, including NJ Transit, need $50 billion to reach a "state of good repair."

Ex-Senator, Med Dean Fighting Convictions ; Lawyer: Appeal Tied to Vague Standards

Former state Sen. Wayne Bryant and a former state medical school dean have given notice that they will fight their convictions and federal prison sentences on corruption charges. Bryant and R. Michael Gallagher, former dean of the School of Osteopathic Medicine at University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, filed notices of appeal to the U.S. Third Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia.

Christie Fine-Tunes Corruption Initiative ; Cites Pay-to-Play, Accused Officials

Linking New Jersey's recent corruption scandal to his bid to unseat Governor Corzine, Republican gubernatorial candidate Chris Christie will unveil a sweeping plan today to crack down on political corruption, including harsher penalties for officeholders charged with or convicted of crimes. Two weeks after a wave of arrests of public officials rocked the state, Christie will appear in Bergen County this afternoon to call for reforms, including stricter campaign finance and financial disclosur...

Carlstadt Mayor Ensnared in Corzine Action ; Gop Critics Say Order Ties Him to Corruption Scandal

CARLSTADT -- Republicans criticized Governor Corzine on Tuesday for linking the borough with Ridgefield, where the mayor was charged in an extortion conspiracy as part of a blockbuster federal corruption bust. An executive order signed by Corzine on Monday requires state agencies to suspend the approval of applications submitted by municipalities where "a mayor charged with a public corruption crime remains in public office."