Community Corner

Mayor's Fire Rescue, Meadowlands Blaze, Plea for Killer's Identity Top NJ News

A weekly look at news in New Jersey.

Saying repeatedly that he is "not a hero," Newark Mayor Cory Booker met with reporters Friday morning to talk about his rescue of a woman trapped by fire in a building adjacent to Booker's home Thursday night. Booker was returning to his home from an interview around 9:30 p.m. when he and members of his police security detail saw flames coming out of the second-floor windows of a two-story apartment building next to Booker's residence.



Fire fighters from numerous Bergen County towns assisted in battling the Meadowlands blaze on Wednesday.

With her voice quavering, Michelle Hughes pleaded for anyone who may know the identity of her husband's killer to step forward. Hughes' husband Donald, a pastor at Bethlehem Judah Christian Fellowship in Elizabeth who has been leading a congregation in South Brunswick that was prepared to move to New Brunswick shortly, was gunned down in Newark on Good Friday as he was unloading from his car groceries meant for a large Easter Sunday feast for his family. 

Find out what's happening in New Brunswickwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Fort Lee Man Convicted In Shooting Of Wayne Cop

A Fort Lee man and his accomplice were convicted Thursday in a string of armed robberies that included the shooting of a Wayne police officer.

Independent Report Disputes NJ Gov's Tunnel Fears

Projected cost overruns for a massive rail tunnel project were well below what Gov. Chris Christie used as justification for scrapping the project, according to an independent congressional report released Tuesday. The Government Accountability Office report also differed with the governor on New Jersey's stake in financing the project—about 14 percent, compared to Christie's statements that New Jersey would be on the hook for 70 percent of the project. [AP]

Find out what's happening in New Brunswickwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

An administrative law judge's ruling that President Barack Obama is eligible to appear on New Jersey's upcoming primary ballot was upheld by Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno, a spokesman for New Jersey's Division of Elections said early Friday afternoon. Spokesman Shawn Crisafulli said in an email that all candidates for all offices, including the President of the United States, have now been officially certified.

Educators Search for Best Ways to Prepare NJ Kids for State Tests

As New Jersey's public schools put students through the annual spring round of standardized tests, a growing number of districts are devoting time to help kids prepare. With New Jersey moving toward using standardized test scores in teacher evaluations, experts say the stakes are rising. [NJ.com]

Gavin Calceran-Bailey is only 15 years old, and he's just a freshman at Absegami High School, but he knows when action needs to be taken. The freshman is looking to gather a group of people for the national Kony 2012 "Cover the Night" event on April 20.

Family Flees House They Say Is Haunted

Just one week after Josue Chinchilla and Michele Callan moved into their new home in Toms River, the couple and her two children plodded into the lobby of a local hotel about 1:15 a.m. and asked for a room. As soon as the family had settled into the three-bedroom ranch at the corner of Terrace and Lowell avenues on March 1, they began to suspect they were not its only tenants. [Asbury Park Press]


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here