Elizabeth Man Pleads Guilty To Role In Multi-Million Dollar Prescription Drug Ring

TRENTON –An Elizabeth man pleaded guilty to racketeering for his role in a Newark-based ring that distributed millions of dollars a year in illegal prescription painkillers such as OxyContin, Attorney General Anne Milgram and Criminal Justice Director Deborah L. Gramiccioni announced today. 

According to Gramiccioni, Will T. Jordan, 38, of Elizabeth, pleaded guilty to second-degree racketeering and second-degree conspiracy to distribute narcotics before Superior Court Judge Michael J. Nelson in Essex County on April 30.  He admitted he acted as a runner, filling fraudulent prescriptions.  He faces up to 16 years in state prison.  Jordan was on trial with the alleged leader of the ring, Mohamed Hassanain, 43, of West Orange, and three other defendants: Woodrow Newton, 47, of Newark, Ian A. Burrowes, 33, of Union, and Aaron Burrowes, 29, of Union.  The trial is continuing for the other defendants. 

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Five Confirmed Cases Of Swine Flu In New Jersey

TRENTON –Five New Jersey residents have confirmed cases of H1N1 influenza, which has been commonly referred to as ‘swine flu,’ according to test results from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). All five individuals were listed as probable cases as a result of testing conducted at the New Jersey Public Health and Environmental Laboratories in Trenton.

All five individuals had a mild case of H1N1 influenza.  None were hospitalized and all are recovering at home. The individuals with confirmed cases of H1N1 influenza are:

• A 43-year old Monmouth County female
• A 22-year old Bergen County female
• A 14-year  old Burlington County male
• A 10-year old Burlington County female
• A 47-year old Burlington County male

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New Jersey Air Quality Gets Failing Grade

STATE –   Over 8.5 million New Jerseyans – everyone except residents of Cape May County – live in metropolitan areas that received failing grades in the American Lung Association’s tenth annual State of the Air report, released Tuesday.  

The report ranks cities most affected by three types of widespread and dangerous pollution: short-term (24-hour) particle pollution, year-round particle pollution and ozone pollution. Counties are graded “A” through “F” for each category when sufficient validated records exist over the three-year period 2005 through 2007.   Science shows that the air quality in counties earning “F’s” is dirty enough to endanger lives.

Middlesex County earned an “F” for ozone pollution and a “C” for particle pollution, while Union County earned an “F” for particle pollution and did not have sufficient data to receive an ozone pollution grade.

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NJ Transit Riders Won’t Face Fare Increase This Year

TRENTON—New Jersey Transit riders won’t face a fare increase this year, despite a cutback in state operating support for the agency, Executive Director Richard Sarles said Tuesday.

The agency will balance its budget by cutting administrative expenses by $22.5 million to partly offset the shortfall, as well as benefit from federal funds made available from the Department of Transportation, Sarles said.

“NJ Transit is a vital component of our transportation network and we want to encourage continued ridership growth on the mass transit system, which relieves congestion and reduces fuel emissions,” said Department of Transportation Commissioner Stephen Dilts.

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Woodbridge Walks To Defeat ALS Sunday

 WOODBRIDGE—The ALS Association Greater New York Chapter will host the Walk to Defeat ALS fund raiser in Woodbridge on Sunday, May 3, starting at 11 a.m. at Alvin P. Williams Memorial Park (Sewaren Peninsula off Cliff Road).

The walk is wheelchair and stroller accessible. Before and after the walk there will be family friendly activities such as face painting, live music, mascots refreshments and other fun and games.

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Linden Resident Inducted Into NJSCA Hall Of Fame

Bill Reichle

LINDEN—Pingry boys’ varsity swimming head coach Bill Reichle, a resident of Linden, has been inducted into the New Jersey Scholastic Coaches Association’s (NJSCA) Hall of Fame. He was one of 38 inductees on March 29, out of almost 8,000 head varsity coaches in the state. 

He has been coaching swimming for more than 40 years. For the past 22 years, he has coached at Pingry, where he also teaches Algebra. His teams have won six state group championships and four county titles, among other championships, and he was honored by The Star-Ledger as state “Coach of the Year” in 2008. 

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NJ Business Flips The Switch On 1.7 MW Rooftop Solar Panel System

SUMMIT– Schering-Plough Corporation welcomed local and state officials, and a class of fifth graders, to celebrate the completion of a 1.7 megawatt solar energy system on Wednesday. With panels located atop seven buildings at the company’s Summit site, the system is one of the largest photovoltaic rooftop installations in New Jersey and North America.  Chairman and CEO Fred Hassan symbolically activated the system by flipping a 6-foot light switch.

“Three years ago Schering-Plough initiated a global strategic energy management initiative to build a foundation for an energy-efficient future,” Hassan said.  “This project is a major achievement of that initiative.  It represents the achievement of three objectives – savings, sustainability and societal benefit – and significantly moves us closer to our goal of reducing energy use worldwide by as much as 10 percent by 2013.”

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NJ Establishes Hotline For Swine Flu Information

STATE—The Department of Health and Senior Services opened a toll-free, 24-hour hotline today to answer questions about swine flu from the general public and New Jersey health care providers.

The hotline number is 1-866-321-9571 and is open as of today.

“We understand that New Jersey residents are concerned about the outbreak of swine flu and will have many questions on how they can protect themselves and their family,” said Commissioner Heather Howard. “The situation will continue to evolve and the department is offering the call center for the general public and health care providers.”

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FBI Raids Homes Of Vas, Former Aide

PERTH AMBOY – FBI agents raided the homes of former Perth Amboy Mayor Joseph Vas and his former aide Melvin Ramos on April 23 last week.  The agents carried out several boxes from both homes at the end of the multi-hour search.

The scene attracted a small crowd of onlookers who lined the sidewalk across the street.

“It’s a sad day. It’s a very sad day,” said City Councilman Fernando Gonzalez, who lives across the street from the former mayor.

Vas and Ramos were indicted earlier this year on state corruption charges. They pleaded not guilty during their arraignments.

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Union County Crime Rate Climbs

UNION COUNTY – Crime in Union County climbed 10 percent last year, according to State Police statistics released last week by the Union County Prosecutor Theodore Romankow.

Elizabeth, which is home to nearly a quarter of the county’s population, accounted for more than 40 percent of the overall crime last year. Thirteen of the 19 homicides in Union County happened in Elizabeth, and more than half of the 1,233 robberies.

Romankow blamed the recession, noting that similar trends occurred nationwide and on the state level during the previous five recession periods.

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Drug Ring Suspects Arrested; 2 Reputed Leaders Still At Large

UNION COUNTY – Two reputed high-ranking members of a drug distribution ring remained at large Monday after authorities arrested 15 people allegedly connected to the ring over the weekend, according to Union County Prosecutor Theodore Romankow.

Authorities arrested 15 people, recovered more than 3 kilograms of cocaine, $80,577 in cash and several guns, including an AK-47 assault rifle, during a series of raids that began last Thursday and continued through Sunday, officials said. Each kilogram of cocaine has a street value of about $350,000.

As of Monday, six suspects were still at large. They included high-ranking members Luqman Abdullah of Elizabeth and  Darrell Brignolle of Linden,  Romankow said. 

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Linden Business Sponsors Boxing Tournament

Linden Business Sponsors Boxing Tournament—Conoco Phillips Bayway Refinery has agreed to be the main corporate sponsor of the New Jersey State Finals of the Diamond Glove Boxing Tournament.  Tournament finals will be held at Linden High School on Friday, Nov. 13.  Presenting a check on behalf of Conoco Phillips is J. Michael Kenney, Bayway Refinery Manager for Conoco Phillips.  Accepting the check is Alfred A. Volpe, President of the Linden Boxing Association.  Pictured (left to right): Gary Luciano, Secretary/Treasurer of the LBA, Michael Karlovich, Strategic Communications Manager for Conoco Phillips, J. Michael Kenney, Alfred A. Volpe, Al MacDonald, Acting Director of the Linden Department of Public Property and Community Services and Tony Orlando, Founder of the Linden Boxing Association. (Photo courtesy of Linden Department of Public Property and Community Services)

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A Sticky Fundraiser

A Sticky Fundraiser—On Thursday, April 9, the Rahway High School Class of 2009 held a fundraiser to benefit upcoming senior activities by providing an opportunity for a sticky situation.  The fundraiser, led by Class of 2009 student officers with the help faculty advisers Pelligrina Perrone and Rachel Munuz, was also made possible by several administrative, faculty and staff members volunteers who allowed students to duct tape them to the wall outside the school cafeteria. Pictured above, history teacher David Rosa is all smiles as he is suspended on the wall. (Photo courtesy of Rahway High School) 

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State Takes Steps To Combat Swine Flu Threat

STATE—While New Jersey had no confirmed cases of the swine flu as of Tuesday morning, state health officials identified five probable cases in people who had recently traveled to Mexico or California.

Officials declined to give details about the cases, but said that the patients were from several counties and had mild forms of the flu that did not require hospitalization. 

As of Tuesday afternoon, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had confirmed cases of swine influenza A (H1N1) in 64 individuals in New York, California, Texas, Ohio and Kansas. In addition, hundreds of cases have been reported in Mexico.

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ACLU Attacks Christie For Warrantless Cell Phone Tracking

STATE – While he served as U.S. attorney for New Jersey, Christopher Christie authorized the tracking of individuals through their cell phones without first obtaining a warrant, the American Civil Liberties Union said last week.

“Big Brother is tucked away in our cell phones, and the man behind the curtain is Chris Christie,” said Deborah Jacobs, executive director of the ACLU in New Jersey.

The ACLU released documents provided by the Justice Department show that the U.S. Attorney’s Offices in New Jersey and Florida had been granted permission by court order “obtain mobile phone location information without making a judicial finding of probable cause.”

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