The Star-Ledger News

Local NJ politics, crime & Statehouse coverage from The Star-Ledger

• OK, they did 'unity.' Now's the hard part
DENVER -- What the Democrats attempted here was the political equivalent of a two-horse parlay. The first half produced a clear winner; the second is still in doubt and likely will be until Election Day.

• Bergen Democrat high-profile despite FBI probe
DENVER -- He says he's riding high in Mile High, enjoying the life of a party leader who turned New Jersey's biggest county from red to blue, a fundraiser so prolific he could lure Hillary Clinton to town on the eve of the February primary.

• For jubilant Democrats, a Rocky Mountain high
DENVER -- It was part outdoor rock concert, part revival meeting. People danced and celebrated. At times, 84,000 people roared as loudly as an NFL Sunday, only to become a hushed throng when Democratic nominee Barack Obama spoke. Then the fireworks lit the Denver sky.

• Audacity, tireless pressure pay off
DENVER -- Following the Democratic National Convention, Barack Obama's campaign is planning to send Gov. Jon Corzine around the country to talk up Oba ma's economic policies and connect with Jewish voters, according to a top Democratic source.

• For some Jerseyans, a night 'bigger than words can express'
Esther Chambliss was a student at Newark's South Side High School when the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. addressed a cheering throng in the auditorium, exhorting the crowd to study, to strive, to reach for a dream, no matter the obstacles.

• 48 years later, Obama mirrors JFK
DENVER -- For veterans of Democratic conventions, a dwindling bunch, Barack Obama's speech last night -- its spectacular outdoor setting, the wonderful weather, the breakthrough nature of the nominee himself, even his message -- was a sentimental journey back in time.

• Dorm stuff 101: Xbox, iPods and flat-screen TVs
It took a few hours and more than a few dollars for Christy Amato and Sarah Thompson to outfit their 12-by-12-foot dorm room in the freshman hall at The College of New Jersey in Ewing.

• One ticket wins $1.5M in Pick 6 Lotto jackpot
There was one top prize winner in last night's Pick 6 Lotto drawing, New Jersey Lottery officials said. The winning ticket, sold in Somerset County, pays $1,552,975 cash option.

• Closings for the Labor Day holiday
HOLIDAY CLOSINGS Monday is Labor Day. It is a federal and state holiday in New Jersey. Post offices will be closed; there will be no regular mail delivery. State and local government offices and courts will be closed. Financial markets and stock markets will be closed. Banks have the option to close. NJ Transit trains will be on weekend/major holiday schedules on Monday. Additional early getaway trains will operate between noon and 5 p.m. today on the Morris & Essex, Northeast Corridor, North Jersey Coast, Pascack Val ley, Port Jervis and Raritan Valley lines. Newark Light Rail and Hud son-Bergen Light Rail will operate on a weekend schedule on Monday. River LINE will operate on a Sunday schedule. Bus schedules vary, depending on route. For de tails, refer to timetables or check the agency's Web site at njtran sit.com or call (973) 275-5555. PATH trains will operate on a holiday schedule.

• For black N.J. delegates, a day of wonder
DENVER -- This is the day a black man accepts the nomination to be president of the United States.

• A lofty orator will need to be concise tonight
DENVER -- Sen. Barack Obama, whose meteoric rise to the pinnacle of Democratic politics began with his stirring keynote address at the party's 2004 convention, makes the most important speech of his career tonight, the 45th anniversary of the Rev. Martin Luther King's "I have a dream" speech.

• Around state, today takes on spirit of a holiday
Deborah Bjornstad was 21 years old the last time she got involved in politics. But tonight, the 49-year-old Bjornstad is coordinating two of the dozens of get-togethers across New Jersey to watch Sen. Barack Obama deliver his acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention in Denver.

• Union leader's concern: Vote won't be colorblind
DENVER -- New Jersey's delegates to the Democratic National Convention heard something rare yesterday morning: pessimism.

• How to let Jerseyans feel at home? Add a few thousand cars
It wasn't exactly part of the official Denver tour, but at least it was an experience that former Assemblyman Raul "Rudy" Garcia will have to talk about.

• Closings for the Labor Day holiday
HOLIDAY CLOSINGS Monday is Labor Day. It is a federal and state holiday in New Jersey. Post offices will be closed; there will be no regular mail delivery. State and local government offices and courts will be closed. Financial markets and stock markets will be closed. Banks have the option to close. NJ Transit trains will be on weekend/major holiday schedules on Monday. Additional early getaway trains will operate between noon and 5 p.m. tomorrow on the Morris & Essex, Northeast Corridor, North Jersey Coast, Pascack Val ley, Port Jervis and Raritan Valley lines. Newark Light Rail and Hud son-Bergen Light Rail will operate on a weekend schedule on Monday. River LINE will operate on a Sunday schedule. Bus schedules will vary, depending upon route. For details, refer to timetables or check the agency's website at njtransit.com or call (973) 275-5555. PATH trains will be operating on a holiday schedule.

• Menendez is the wallflower at the prom
DENVER -- Sen. Robert Menendez declined an invitation for a speaking role at the Democratic National Convention because of lingering hard feelings between him and Barack Obama's camp, according to political and convention officials.

• Corzine wants Jersey to stand with Obama
You can take the Democrats out of New Jersey, but it seems you can't keep New Jersey away from the Democrats.

• Be it hair plugs or plywood floor, web fills void left by TV networks
For the last two days, consumers of the Democratic National Convention in Denver have had an information smorgasbord of watching, reading and listening choices.

• Clinton shows where her loyalty now lies
DENVER -- Sen. Hillary Clinton earned her varsity letter with the Obama team last night.

• A state of plenty and of poverty
When it comes to family income, New Jersey remains a study in contrasts.

• A road full of promise is now a symbol of Afghan instability
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan -- The mood inside the bus is grave and doubtful. The passengers have come with suitcases, cardboard boxes, cloth bundles and flasks of green tea.

• FAA software glitch stacks up planes
Departing flights were delayed across the Eastern United States yesterday -- in some cases up to two hours -- after a software problem shut down the Federal Aviation Administration's primary system for processing flight plans.

• Jersey politics taught Obama manager well
DENVER -- Barack Obama's national campaign manager, David Plouffe, says there's no better way to prepare for a presidential campaign than working a few years in New Jersey politics.

• An uplifting speech draws a few tears
Rep. Frank Pallone (D-6th Dist.) is known as a supporter of everything green -- so why is he driving a huge Cadillac SUV around Denver? During a convention in which energy independence will take center stage?

• Last stop: Off Cape May
It landed with a profound, bass-filled thud, a sound befitting an 18-ton steel object when it slams into the ocean after a 15-foot drop.

• Victims of house fire feel burned by COAH
Call it the law of unintended consequences.

• As opium surges back, women pay a grave price
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan -- Under a wine-colored burqa that flows from the crown of her head down over her body, Khadija sat cross-legged, spinning the wheel of a sewing machine and methodically stitching a seam into a flowing stream of white cloth.

• Pick 6 Lotto jackpot grows to $2.5 million
There were no top prize winners in last night's Pick 6 Lotto drawing, New Jersey Lottery officials said.

• In Denver, Corzine's focused on winning
DENVER -- New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine hit the tarmac here yesterday as the leader of the state's delegation to the Democratic National Convention, a salesman for Barack Obama and -- perhaps most importantly -- a candidate himself for re-election.

• Laid-back cops make it tough to 'Re-create 68'
DENVER -- Glen Spagnola marched yesterday at the head of a crowd of some 2,000 protesters right to the entrance of the Pepsi Center, the site of the Democratic National Convention -- and then couldn't figure out what to do.

• Obama expected at N.J. fund-raiser
It was the political equivalent of "Tell me the meaning of life" between two of New Jersey's best-known chief executives.

• Win or lose, Dems have a party to be proud of
Our hotel has everything but a convention. That's some 15 miles away. Think of it as assembling in New Brunswick for a meeting in Trenton.

• From start to finish, pure gold
BEIJING -- The kid in the blue-and-white shirt responds to the question with a puzzled look.

• Fear trumps luxury on street of dreams in a lawless land
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan -- The neat rows of new homes in this gated community sit behind freshly painted 10-foot cement walls and rows of manicured shrubs.

• VP pick often much ado about not much
How much does the vice presidential choice affect the outcome of any presidential election?

• Jersey's Obama are ready to change world
DENVER -- Joe Cryan, state Democratic chief and deal-maker in a short-sleeve shirt and loosened tie, left for his party's national convention just after making sure his candidate got to be the next Assembly member from his Union County district.

• Kandahar police and civilians fear odds are against them
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan -- Nearly seven years after the U.S. military toppled the Taliban, police in Afghanistan are battling an intensifying insurgency that threatens to reclaim the country.

• Summer shaping up as a Top 10 hot one
You might find this hard to believe if you were one of those who reached for a sweatshirt or blanket to ward off the unseasonable chill in the air this week, but the summer of 2008 is destined to go down as one of the 10 hottest on record in New Jersey.

• WTC cross traversing Jersey to Pa. memorial
A flag-draped, cross-shaped piece of structural steel from the North Tower of the World Trade Center will be carted across New Jersey today on its way to a new memorial in Shanksville, Pa.

• Corzine says Dems will tip hat to Clinton, unite behind Obama
Gov. Jon Corzine said yesterday that if given the opportunity to vote for Hillary Clinton during the Democratic National Convention, New Jersey delegates pledged to the former first lady "certainly" will do so -- but in the end will join in nominating Barack Obama.

• SITTING ON TOP OF THE WORLD
BEIJING -- When the final whistle sounded, they charged across the field, smiling and laughing and hugging, running free and unencumbered for the first time in almost a year. They waved flags and they waved their arms.

• Families savor 'a great day for the Jersey girls'
Carol O'Reilly sat hunched, tighter than a jack-in-the-box about to spring. Her feet dug into the carpet. Her elbows dug into her thighs. Her clenched fists dug into her chin.

• Tech puts conventions up-closer than ever
Have your own personal record of every sheath dress Michelle Obama wears in Denver next week. Be the first in the office to know what John McCain says when he thinks the mike's off in Minneapolis next month.

• Pick 6 Lotto jackpot grows to $2.25 million
There was no top prize winner in last night's Pick 6 Lotto drawing, New Jersey Lottery officials said.

• Gloucester bristles as feral porkers run amok
The pigs have gone hog wild in New Jersey.

• With 'It's Phil!' a Jersey love affair resumes
His shiny red loaner Ford Expedition pulled into the parking spot at 6:21 a.m. and sat with the motor running for a few minutes. Phil Mickelson had arrived early for his tee time yesterday at The Barclays pro-am, hoping to duck into the locker room before things got busy.

• Army is on a mission to help families of fallen
Judy Faunce hadn't heard from the Army in years, not since it concluded its final report on the electrocution death of her son, Capt. Brian Faunce, in western Iraq in late 2003.

• Inquiries on Rutgers athletics
Recent inquiries into Rutgers University and its athletic department:

• YEARS OF HARDSHIP, MOMENT OF GRACE
BEIJING -- The usher kept telling them to sit down, but they couldn't stop springing from their seats. He threatened to kick them out, but they kept on cheering and dancing and clapping.

• 'Perfect' marriage ends in baffling murder-suicide
To their friends and relatives, Georgiana and Lester Stockel Jr. appeared to be living a fairy tale.

• For lottery players, yet another ball of confusion
It was "whoops" again for the New Jersey Lottery.

• Musharraf defends record as he steps down
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- On the day he reluctantly quit as Pakistan's president, Pervez Musharraf offered a last defense of his nine-year record.

• What's the new mood in Pakistan? Relief
What is the prevailing opinion in Pakistan of Pervez Musharraf?

• The camp that lives on love
On a gentle slope known as Blossom Hill, straddling the green, scenic landscape of the Hunterdon County townships of Clinton and Tewksbury, is where the real world ends, and Fatimagic begins.

• How to help Camp Fatima
For volunteer opportunities or camper information at Camp Fatima write:

• As canyon water rose, a rope led Scouts out
A Boy Scout troop from Maplewood huddled under the pitch black sky, alarmed by the roar of rushing water and the sound of snapping trees.

• Showing teachers high tech's fast lane
Sparta teacher Erica Hartman already has the usual certifications that allow her to teach middle school in New Jersey.

• Russian forces show little sign of a withdrawal
GORI, Georgia -- Russian tanks and troops roamed freely around Gori yesterday and made forays toward the Georgian capital, keeping control of the highway that slices through Georgia's midsection despite Russia's announcement a withdrawal had begun.

• Smith aims to aid 2 stuck in Georgia
After working for more than a week to secure the safe return of two New Jersey sisters trapped amid Russian fighting, U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (R-3rd Dist.) headed to the former Soviet republic of Georgia yesterday to try to speed up the process.

• Solo ticket takes the Pick 6 jackpot
There was one top prize winner in last night's Pick 6 Lotto drawing, New Jersey Lottery officials said. The winning ticket is worth $1,393,222 cash option.

• Mind-boggling misfire
BEIJING -- He pulled off his gloves, shook his head and stared at the target in silence.

• Special screeners sweat small stuff
Who are they? New behavior detection officers trawl airports looking for bad guys. What do they look for? Excess sweating, nervous ness, odd actions or other signs of fear, stress or deception.

• At Beijing Wal-Mart, shoppers fish for deals -- and dinner
BEIJING -- Eek! The shouts and squeals can be heard halfway up the conveyor belt that takes customers and their shopping carts to the second floor of the huge store attached to a mall in the city. Aiy! Aiy! Aiy! Just around the corner from the top of the ramp, shoppers are trying to catch their dinner by plunging fishing nets into tanks filled with carp and eels and a school of appetizers that look like miniature catfish. Oh! Oh! Oh!

• Saving the knees, and the careers, of female athletes
A soccer player makes a sharp cut. A basketball player lands awkwardly. A lacrosse player stops suddenly.

• The secretive Sunni Muslims who never stop spreading the word
RAIWIND, Pakistan -- To some, Tablighi Jamaat is a fiercely dedicated group of proselytizers that strives endlessly to enhance its beliefs while preaching door to door and encouraging other Muslims to pray and discuss Islam.

• Blue Cross seeks a conversion to for-profit insurer
Horizon Blue Cross/Blue Shield of New Jersey, the state's largest health insurer, applied yesterday to become a for-profit corporation, a move it says will generate at least $1 billion for the state to support insurance subsidies and public health care improvements.

• A search for answers in teen's rifle tragedy
A Young Reader's Study Bible sat on a stereo speaker in Terrance Perry's bedroom, not far from a bullet hole in the ceiling made by a rifle he allegedly fired on Thursday morning, killing a boy upstairs.

• Oil price jitters spark interest in an old flame
Bob Schultz is getting calls from people he hasn't heard from in 10 years.

• Former Passaic mayor gets 21-month term
As former Passaic Mayor Samuel "Sammy" Rivera faced sen tencing on corruption charges yesterday, friends and supporters submitted a video to the judge urging leniency and praising his good works.

• Ocean gunnery range reopens to limited testing
Limited military testing will resume at the Warren Grove Gunnery Range in Ocean County, which was closed more than a year ago when a flare sparked an extensive forest fire.

• Tuskegee airman paved way for others
For Col. Reginald Stroud, there was no doubt in his mind why he was able to stand before the parishioners at the Second Baptist Church in Rahway yesterday in his United States Air Force uniform.

• Corzine criticized over aquarium plan
Gov. Jon Corzine's approval of a proposed aquarium at the Meadowlands Sports Complex came under criticism yesterday from a Republican legislator, who accused the governor of favoritism.

• Jersey-based aircraft aiding Georgia
Cargo aircraft based at McGuire Air Force Base in southern New Jersey are playing a pivotal early role in the delivery of some $1.28 million in humanitarian aid that has begun arriving at hospitals and refuge camps in besieged Georgia.

• Mom who fled with daughters gets probation
Runaway mom Michelle Kimble -- who fled New Jersey with her two young daughters during a cus tody squabble 15 years ago and forged a new life under new names in Vermont -- was sentenced yesterday to two years probation on the old interfering with custody charge.