We scared up ghastly trivia from Halloween-themed NJ.com stories

We're going at this week's NJ.com News Quiz a little differently. The seven questions below are all based on Halloween-themed stories you've seen on NJ.com over the past month. This quiz is not for the faint of heart, so if big red Xs scare you, better turn back now. For the daring few who complete the quiz, share your score in comments.

 

The unprecedented budget cuts at the private liberal arts school are expected to save more than $2 million a year.

LAWRENCE -- Facing a potentially crippling budget crisis, Rider University will slash 13 majors and one minor and eliminate more than 20 jobs, including 14-full-time faculty members, the school announced today. 

The unprecedented budget cuts at the private liberal arts college are expected to save more than $2 million a year as Rider tries to close its deficit, already at $7.6 million of this year's $216 million budget, according to the university. 

Current juniors and seniors will be able to complete degrees in their major, but sophomores and freshman will need to switch majors or transfer. In total, 272 students, including 123 sophomores and freshman are in the affected programs, university President Gregory Dell'Omo said. 

Dell'Omo, who took office in August, announced the cuts Thursday during a town hall meeting with faculty and staff. Letters were also sent to students' families, he said. 

RELATED: Last women's college in N.J. going co-ed

"This is a tough day," Dell'Omo told NJ Advance Media after the town hall meeting. "But we would not have made this decision unless I really felt these were the right things for the university." 

The cuts were prompted by years of declining enrollment combined with rising costs for instruction, Dell'Omo said. But an official for the school's faculty union said the faculty and the university have a difference of opinion over the severity of Rider's financial challenges. 

"Our first take on it was this is not necessary," said Jeff Halpern, contract administrator and chief grievance officer for the faculty union. "A major restructuring without any conversations with the faculty is simply formula for disaster." 

Majors that will be eliminated beginning next fall are art and art history, advertising, American studies, business education, French, geosciences, German, marine science, philosophy, piano and web design. The bachelor of arts program in economics and the graduate program in organizational leadership will also be eliminated. 

Three majors -- business economics, entrepreneurial studies and sociology -- will be offered only as minors, and the school's minor in Italian will be eliminated. 

Rider began this school year with 73 majors, according the university. It considered student enrollment, market demand and potential cost savings when it decided which majors to cut, Dell'Omo said. 

The program reductions will result in the layoff of 14 full-time faculty and the elimination of two clerical jobs and five vacant faculty position. Part-time faculty who teach in eliminated academic programs will not be re-hired for those positions next school year, according to the university. 

It's unclear how many part-time faculty will be affected, Dell'Omo said. 

The faculty union found out about the budget cuts at 9 a.m. this morning, Halpern said. The union and administration had discussed contract concessions, including a wage freeze this school year, but couldn't reach an agreement, he said. 

"Institutions like Rider really live and die on the relationship between faculty and students," Halpern said. "I can only say that our faculty is dispirited, morale is completely destroyed, and I don't see how that can be a positive thing." 

Tuition and fees at Rider increased 4.2 percent to $38,360 this year while total undergraduate enrollment fell to 3,712, about a 9 percent drop from 2009. The university saw a 14 percent decrease in the number of incoming freshman this fall compared to last year. 

Rider's financial problems come as many small private colleges around the nation are struggling to stay out of the red. While elite colleges, including Princeton University, are attracting record numbers of applications and large donations, many smaller liberal arts schools are losing students.

Nationwide, the number of college-age students is declining and the stagnant economy has prompted many families to shy away from small liberal arts schools with high tuition. Private colleges with meager endowments often don't have enough money in the bank to weather enrollment declines.

In the last few years, several small colleges have closed, including Lebanon College in New Hampshire and Mid-Continent University in Kentucky. Others are considering closing or merging with other schools.

But Dell'Omo said Rider's cuts are not a sign that the university will follow in the path of those that shut down.  

"We are not anywhere near that," he said. 

Staff writer Kelly Heyboer contributed to this report. 

Adam Clark may be reached at adam_clark@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on twitter at @realAdamClark. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

The philosophy is simple: Decorate cars, bring them together in the parking lot of police headquarters on North Clinton Avenue, fill the trunks with goodies and let the gaily costumed youngsters parade from car to car, filling their bags.

Trenton's Trunk or Treat, the police department's Halloween gift to the city's children and their parents, turns two this year, building on a highly successful kick-off last year.

It's a holiday hat trick, managing not only to build community spirit and to unite businesses, social service agencies, city offices and residents, but also to do it all while keeping our children safe.

And did we mention it's free? And just plain fun?

The philosophy is simple: Decorate cars, bring them together in the parking lot of police headquarters on North Clinton Avenue, fill the trunks with goodies and let the gaily costumed youngsters parade from car to car, filling their bags.

It's not a new concept; many neighborhoods around the country have informally organized these events as a safer alternative for a decade or more.

They're popular at schools and churches, as well as in rural areas where houses are few and far between, and the traditional door-to-door trick-or-treating becomes more a trudge than a treat.

MORE: N.J. school cancels Halloween citing diversity

But having the event take place at a police department takes it to a whole new level, with the added bonus of encouraging children to interact with police officers on a friendly basis, rather than as foes.

Thursday's event was planned as a full-out experience, including music, prizes and family games. Mom and Pop were invited to get as creative as possible, turning Nissans and Fords into dragons' lairs and haunted mansions.

To better ensure safety, rules required that all vehicles be registered beforehand, and that at least one adult stay with each car for the duration.

Detective Alexis Durlacher of the Trenton Police Department said Wednesday that about 40 organizations and individual citizens had registered cars by midweek, including firefighters and animal-control officers.

ALSO: 'Great Pumpkin' asteroid skims past moon

We're not sure Trunk or Treat will ever replace the solidly entrenched - and beloved - door-to-door solicitation that became the hallmark of Halloween nearly a century ago.

It's tough to beat the thrill of walking (with friends or parents) through fall-darkened streets, carrying a plastic pumpkin or a pillow case and receiving candy bars just for the asking.

But we like that the police here have added their own dimension to All Hallow's Eve and the days leading up to it, and we're delighted that their Trunk and Treat seems to be catching on in a big way.

Don't fret, parents. The sugar rush will wear off in a few days.

On October 22, 2015, I delivered my State of the City address at City Hall to an audience of residents, community leaders and stakeholders from business, education, government, nonprofit and faith.

By Eric E. Jackson

On October 22, 2015, I delivered my State of the City address at City Hall to an audience of residents, community leaders and stakeholders from business, education, government, nonprofit and faith.

I talked about how my administration is meeting the challenge of leading our city by establishing new collaborations and supporting thoughtful and effective solutions for its revitalization.

Although Trenton is 50 miles from New York City and 30 miles from Philadelphia, two other important metropolitan hubs, Trenton is not The Big Apple and not the City of Brotherly Love. Trenton is New Jersey's capital city.

And yet, Trenton is very much in the center of it all. Like our urban neighbors, we have helped influence the American experience and have been at the forefront of industrial and manufacturing innovation.

Although times have changed, Trenton is in a better place now to capture new opportunity and investment than it has been in many years. Under my leadership, and with the capable, guiding hands of my administration and support from City Council, community leaders, like-minded stakeholders from business, education, government and faith, we can realize the goals that we set out to achieve.

To catalyze Trenton's revival, we must leverage its competitive strengths, take advantage of new economic trends--such as the millennials' boom, a renewed interest in urban living and the rise of the creative class--if we want to become a stronger community that is capable of forging its own destiny.

We've begun this work.

My administration is executing a governance strategy that is supported by eight pillars: restoration, collaboration, communications, accountability, benchmarking, measuring results, transparency and innovation.

We've had a turnaround year in which we've focused our efforts on restoring our municipal government, getting its finances in order, addressing critical personnel needs and tackling the myriad tasks our employees must accomplish everyday in a professional manner.

We prepared a $188-million budget encompassing 11 separate departments. With the help of City Council, that budget was passed.

We've strengthened our policies on the way we buy goods and services; hired more than 200 new, qualified employees into much-needed positions; overhauled the management of grants; entered into new contracts with the city's collective bargaining units; improved our benefits administration; and devised a way to strengthen risk management and the city's exposure to claims, such as worker's compensation.

We are repairing and upgrading our city infrastructure, resurfacing roadways in all four wards, and improving our maintenance efforts on more than 50 city facilities. For example, we have replaced roofs and heating systems, all work that was long overdue.

We will soon begin a $4-million roadway construction and a $3-million park and playground construction and improvement project. In addition, we are advancing capital improvements to our historic buildings, including the Mill Hill Playhouse and the William Trent House.

Strengthening our public-safety infrastructure is a critical part of my administration's plan to advance our city's revival.

Here is a compelling statistic: Since July 1, 2014, our Trenton Police Department has received more than 100,000 calls for service. It is critical that we have the personnel to address this demand.

We hired 22 more police officers and worked with members of the New Jersey Senate and Congressional delegations to successfully secure a $1.5-million federal COPS grant to hire a dozen more officers, bringing the total of new police officers hired under my watch to 34.

We made sure that the police unions are no longer operating without contracts. A feature of the new contracts is the elimination of the four-on-four-off schedule, increasing the number of annual work hours from 1,856 to 2,184. As a result of this agreement, the department has increased manpower patrolling our streets by 22 percent and improved the effectiveness of the department's proactive units, without breaking the bank.

Increased police force deployment is helping to bring the city's crime rate to an all-time low. Violent crime is down 30 percent. Shootings are down 39 percent. Homicides are down 41 percent. Crimes against property are down 17 percent. Overall crime is down 21 percent.

At our all-hazards Fire and Emergency Services Department, we continue to ensure that we are prepared for any emergency that threatens our community or those that surround us.

We hired and trained 12 new firefighters, and we regularly provide advanced training to all of our firefighters for homeland terror response, hazmat and other rescue operations.

We have ordered three new fire trucks to replace equipment that will soon become outdated and are completing a $4-million upgrade of the department's multichannel radio system to facilitate better communication. New fire trucks mean better technology, expanded water-pumping power, greater efficiency, and more lives saved.

I said that we would engage key stakeholders and seek ideas from accomplished business leaders to activate economic development, inform and refine our economic-development strategy, and integrate community input into the process.

We are doing just that, and in the last 15 months, we've achieved noteworthy results.

Most recently, at the start of Trenton Business Week, which we've revamped, I announced a new public/private partnership called Greater Trenton that will work to attract private investment and renewed energy into our downtown business district with the help of our partners NJM Insurance Group, Capital Health, Thomas Edison State College, Investors Bank, Princeton University, Bristol-Myers Squibb and Wells Fargo. These member organizations have committed nearly $2 million to fund the initiative over the next five years.

We are rebuilding our market-rate housing development pipeline with more than 600 housing units coming online in the next 18 to 24 months, in addition to 50,000 square feet of retail and office space.

Market-rate housing development is fundamental to growing Trenton's economy. We must position the city to take advantage of the millennials' boom and the reality that homebuyers can't afford housing prices in nearby urban markets.

We selected Ajax Management to redevelop the downtown Bell Telephone Building, which has been dormant for 35 years, into 80 market-rate residential units and 12,000 square feet of retail space.

The residents of Trenton directed us to deal with blight--specifically the more than 3,500 vacant properties and lots.

We partnered with Isles, which conducted a sweeping survey of our city's vacant properties last year, and leveraged those results to inform our strategy and establish an innovative vacant-property initiative.

You have asked us to increase home ownership, particularly in city-based homes.

We launched a homesteading initiative that first identified livable housing and then connected eligible participants with lenders to potentially get mortgage financing. We are eager to get those properties back on the tax rolls.

We have successfully auctioned off city-owned property that was unproductive on the city's balance sheet.

We are translating negative value into future revenue and leveraging existing assets to establish new resources.

The work of transforming Trenton is progressing. A once-tepid climate is now heating up with renewed energy, ideas, new resources and meaningful collaborations. We are building an intentional and successful economic turnaround.

Eric E. Jackson is the 55th mayor of Trenton. A full text of the Mayor's State of the City address is available at trentonnj.org.

Follow The Times of Trenton on Twitter @TimesofTrenton. Find The Times of Trenton on Facebook.

Today's letters: more endorsements

Julie BlakeCourtesy photo 

In running as the Democratic candidate for Hopewell Township Committee, I've knocked on over 1000 doors and listened to what my fellow residents had to say. I'd like to share the issues that you told me are the most important to you.

Affordability: Like many of you, I want to stop the excessive spending and borrowing that has become the norm.  I'll fight for lower taxes and lower spending because I know what it is like to stretch one's budget to pay our bills.  The Township increased spending by 9% this year.  That is unacceptable.

Overdevelopment: I am the only candidate who has pledged not to accept any campaign contributions from developers or others who would profit from the outcome of this election.  I will fight all attempts to overdevelop the Township's southern tier.  I'll fight to protect our open space and stop the PennEast pipeline because I want a healthy, safe environment for my neighbors and my family.

I am not a politician.  As a counselor and educator, I believe in collaborative decision making and solution based action plans.  I've learned how to work with families, institutions and government agencies to get things done. 

These are my strengths.  Every day I find solutions for children and families. Every day I make sure that we make things work.

I hope you will vote for positive change in Hopewell Valley. I hope you will vote for me this November 3 for Hopewell Township Committee.

Julie Blake

Democratic candidate for the Hopewell Township Committee

I had the distinct honor to accompany Julie Blake as she went door-to-door in Hopewell Township recently.  She listened to your thoughts on issues that matter most to you: lowering taxes so you can afford to live here; keeping the Township green so you and your next generations can enjoy this remarkable Valley; constraining future development to preserve our distinct heritage and lifestyle.  Her grasp of your concerns and hopes for the future has grown through her extensive coverage of the Township.

Julie Blake has integrity, a strong moral compass, a humble desire to serve this community. I've watched her listen, share values and views, and empathize and identify with you and your family. I have tremendous respect for Julie as a person and candidate for Hopewell Township Committee.  It's clear to me that Julie Blake has the right stuff to be an outstanding township leader. 

If you want a representative with honesty, true grit, who will do everything in her power to put your interests first, above her own, then vote for Julie Blake for Hopewell Township Committee on Tuesday, November 3.

Rex Parker

Titusville

Follow The Times of Trenton on Twitter @TimesofTrenton. Find The Times of Trenton on Facebook.

After 77 years, Orson Welles' 'War of the Worlds' is still seen as a radio broadcast that changed the industry.

At 8 p.m. on Oct. 30, 1938, a 23-year-old Orson Welles went live on the air from Mercury Theater with his original radio play titled, "War of the Worlds."

Despite the dramatization being introduced as a presentation of Columbia Broadcasting System and Mercury Theater, many listeners misunderstood the broadcast and believed the Earth was being invaded by aliens.

The radio play began with an introduction by Welles which led into a weather report. Coverage then moved to the "Meridian Room at the Hotel Park Plaza in downtown New York," but was interrupted by a report saying Professor Farrell of the Mount Jenning Observatory detected explosions on Mars.

The next report was that a large meteor had crashed in a farmer's field in Grovers Mill -- a section of West Windsor -- which is where the Paradelphia Radio crew did their own live radio broadcast from on Oct. 29, the night before the 77th anniversary of Welles' historic broadcast.

No, they didn't broadcast from the actual field.

They set up the Toxic Radio equipment at the Grover's Mill Coffee House -- a "War of the Worlds"-themed cafe in the town of Grover's Mill.

The Grover's Mill Coffee Company is dedicated to the memory of that 1938 broadcast and the lasting impression it made on American history and society.

"In remembering this fateful broadcast, we are harkened back to a time of innocence and wonder, when indeed, anything seemed possible," reads the coffee house's website.

When Franc Gambatese, owner of the Grover's Mill Coffee House, and his partner -- his wife Mickey -- decided to get into the coffee business about 10 years ago, they wanted to open a shop that had local flair.

"I"ve always been drawn to the 'War of the Worlds,'" Gambatese said. "I did my senior thesis on 'War of the Worlds' as a broadcast major."

When he was a child, Gambatese remembers watching the 1953 ABC movie, "The Night That Panicked America" with his father.

"I remember him telling me that it really happened," he said. "In the 70s, it just seemed so ridiculous, but in 1938, radio was the cutting edge of technology."

So, the Gambatese's decided to dedicate their coffee shop to the famous 1938 broadcast.

"We were driving through the area and saw the barn that said Grover's Mill on the side," Franc Gambatese said. "But what I saw was Grover's Mill Coffee Company."

And the alien encounter coffee shop was born.

With a large collection of "War of the Worlds" memorabilia, including a large painting depicting the alien craft smashed into the Grover's Mill barn, the coffee shop has everything from letters written to and from Orson Welles after the broadcast, retro photographs from 1938, and autographed items from actors who appeared in movies inspired by the radio broadcast.

"I got an email from Ann Robinson, the starlette of the 1953 'War of the Worlds' movie," Gambatese said. "She said she was coming to Comic Con and wanted to see if we could give her a tour of Grover's Mill."

Robinson told Gambatese that the majority of her career was built from her appearance in "War of the Worlds" and she felt she needed to complete her journey with a tour of the place where the invasion had originally occurred.

"She was so thrilled," he remembered.

When they completed the tour, Robinson opened the trunk of her car, and took out "War of the Worlds" movie cards, posters, and other pieces of memorabilia.

"She signed every one of them by hand and gave them to us," Gambatese said.

Every year, Robinson sends more "War of the Worlds" collectibles to the Gambatese's coffee shop.

"She didn't have to do any of that," he said. "That's my favorite stuff because of the connection."

During the "War of the Worlds" broadcast, the newcaster -- actor -- described the Martians as resembling a "gray snake."

"Now here's another and another one and another one," the announcer said. "They look like tentacles to me. I can see the thing's body now. It's large, large as a bear. It glistens like wet leather. But that face -- it...it...ladies and gentlemen, it's undescribable. I can hardly force myself to keep looking at it it's so awful. The eyes are black and gleam like a serpent. The mouth is kind of V-shaped with saliva dripping from its rimless lips that seem to quiver and pulsate."

This description, along with the rest of the realistic broadcast with sophisticated sound effects and experienced actors, caused approximately a million radio listeners to go into a severe panic.

Terrified New Jersey residents jammed highways trying to escape the alien invasion in their state, while the rest of the country awaited their impending fate.

"Two people killed themselves," Gambatese said he had heard from unconfirmed reports. "No one died here in town, but one resident, in a panic to get out of town, accidentally hung his dog by throwing him over the fence and his leash got caught. Then he drove his car through the garage door."

One report said a woman in Indianapolis ran into a church that was holding evening services and announced that New York had been destroyed by an alien attack.

"It's the end of the world," she yelled. "Go home and prepare to die."

When Welles discovered people were in a real-life panic due to his broadcast, he went on the air himself to remind listeners that "War of the Worlds" was simply a fictional radio play.

The Federal Communications Commission investigated the broadcast, but found that Welles and Mercury Theater had broken no laws.

Grover's Mill Coffee House will host a live broadcast and discussion of the original "War of the Worlds" broadcast on radiooncemore.com on Oct. 30 at 7 p.m., and a "War of the Worlds" re-enactment with actor Michael Jarmus on Oct. 31 at 7:30 p.m.

If you missed Paradelphia's broadcast from Grover's Mill Coffee House, catch the podcast at paradelphia.com on Nov. 2.

Grover's Mill Coffee House is located at 335 Princeton Hightstown Road in West Windsor.

For more information, visit www.groversmillcoffee.com.

Organizers say it was scarily successful, with over 3,000 trick-or-treaters. Watch video

TRENTON -- Munching on caramel apples while moving to the beats of a disc jockey, over 3,000 people walked through the Trenton police's second annual Trunk or Treat Thursday night.

Organizers say it was scarily successful. 

The lines were long and at times stretched a block around police headquarters on North Clinton Avenue, but parents say it was worth the wait.

"It's safe, and that's what I like," said Valerie Kashanui. She usually takes her three children Lyla, 5, Jade, 3 and 1-year-old Johnny to Lawrence for trick-or-treating.

This year, they will get two days of candy, and Kashanui was appreciative that Trenton police organized an event for Trenton children. "I like that they are giving back to the community," she said.

Trenton Detective Alexis Durlacher, the organizer, and who dressed as a World War II ballplayer from the movie "A League of their Own," spent most of the night running boxes of candy to the vehicles ringing the police parking lot.

Last year's event drew about 1,000 people. This year, police estimated 3,000 attended.

"Next year, I'm hoping for 5,000," she said Friday.

Durlacher said it was a great collaboration between the Trenton public safety community and city organizations.

Trenton Detective Ed Cunningham and his wife Lisa brought their food truck Crespella's and doled out free banana crepes and caramel apples. Officer John McGinley and his family organized a zombie trailer.

The DJ was Trenton's patrol captain, Anthony Pasqua, and several top commanders roamed the event dressed as monsters and cartoon characters.

Rounding out the end of the trunk-or-treat line was a city fire engine and a Trenton EMS ambulance that kids could take a look it as they collected candy.

Kevin Shea may be reached at kshea@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter@kevintshea. Find The Times of Trenton on Facebook.

 

An office manager who embezzled more than $150,000 from a Hamilton small business was sentenced to three years in prison and ordered to pay restitution, state authorities said Friday.

TRENTON -- An office manager who embezzled more than $150,000 from a Hamilton small business was sentenced to three years in prison and ordered to pay restitution, state authorities said Friday.

Coleen Gibbas, 52, of Conshohocken, Pa., pleaded guilty in June to second-degree theft by unlawful taking after she was accused of stealing almost $151,000 from her employer, Tri-State Knife Grinding Corp., over six years. 

Gibbas was employed as an office manager by Tri-State Knife, which has industrial contracts to sharpen knives and industrial equipment, from 2001 to March 2015, earning an annual salary of up to $67,000, the Attorney General's office said.

Gibbas' job responsibilities included preparing and issuing checks to the company's employees and vendors, which required her to obtain the signature of the company's owner on each check or to sign checks that he authorized her to sign, the office said.

RELATED: Former office manager pleads guilty to stealing $150k from Hamilton company

From November 2008 to March 2005, Gibbas forged the owner's signature on most of the 100 fraudulent checks or signed her own name without the owner's authorization, authorities said. She then deposited the checks into her bank account.

Gibbas made fake entries in the check register, indicating that the checks had been paid to a vendor used by the company when the checks were made payable to her, according to the Attorney General's office.

Coleen GibbasAttorney General's Office 

"White collar crime can result in serious harm to businesses, particularly small businesses like the one in this case," Acting Attorney General John J. Hoffman said in a statement.

Gibbas' attorneys said she was immediately remorseful and cooperated with authorities. Her lawyer in Pennsylvania, Michael Reed, said Gibbas has emptied her 401(k) to begin paying restitution.

"She thought she was treated fairly by everybody, including by the judge that sentenced her to day," Reed said.

According to the news release, she will make an initial, $88,000 payment next week.

"She's looking forward to complying with the restitution, moving on and forward with her life," said Gibbas' New Jersey attorney Sarah Brewer-Clarius. "She's extremely remorseful and has taken full responsibility."

Samantha Marcus may be reached at smarcus@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @samanthamarcus. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.

 

John C. Williams, also known as Johnny Fields, 60, was arrested near his home after a routine search of his SUV turned up handcuffs and other official items

TRENTON - A Ewing man on probation on a charge of impersonating a police officer was arrested Thursday on new charges of police impersonation, authorities said.

John C. WilliamsCourtesy Mercer County Sheriff's Office 

John C. Williams, also known as Johnny Fields, 60, was arrested near his home on the 100 block of Crescent Avenue after a routine search of his SUV turned up handcuffs, official Mercer County Prosecutor's placards, State Police work clothes and an empty police pistol holster, according to the Mercer County Sheriff's Office.

Williams' Chevrolet SUV also was modified to look like a police vehicle with a working siren, tinted windows, police-type strobe lights in the front and back, police markings and decals, the sheriff's office said.

Williams was charged with illegal possession of handcuffs, receiving stolen property and impersonating a police officer. His SUV was impounded. He was taken to Mercer County jail, Hopewell Township, in lieu of $20,000 bail, the sheriff's office said.

Anyone who believes they have been approached or pulled over by Williams is asked to contact Sheriff's Detective Joseph Tuccillo at JTuccillo@MercerCounty.org or 609-989-6111. 

Keith Brown may be reached at kbrown@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @KBrownTrenton. Find The Times of Trenton on Facebook.

 

Mercer County Sheriff's Officer Christopher McKenna was suspended from his $69,000 post Friday following charges he illegally distributed a juvenile's mug shots

MERCER COUNTY - The Mercer County Sheriff's Officer who was charged with illegally distributing mug shots of a juvenile who was shot in Trenton seven times by police in August was suspended without pay Friday, authorities said.

Christopher McKenna in this file photo. (NJ Advance Media for NJ.com) 

"After a hearing today, Officer Christopher McKenna has been placed on suspension without pay and the matter is under review by the Mercer County Prosecutor's Office and the State Attorney General," Mercer County Sheriff Jack Kemler said in a statement Friday.

The suspension comes a day after the Office of the Attorney General announced that McKenna, 37, was charged with wrongful access and disclosure of information, a third-degree crime which carries a sentence of three- to five years in state prison and a fine of up to $15,000.

McKenna on or around Aug. 21 used a restricted police database to get the arrest photos of the teen. McKenna last year drew a $69,525 salary, according to state records.

The Attorney General's office has never named the teen, nor anyone else involved in the shooting.

MORE: Radazz Hearns' mother wants release of juvenile record probed

Radazz Hearns, the teen who was shot during a confrontation with two State Police troopers and a Mercer County sheriff's officer on Aug.7, was identified by family members.

McKenna, a sheriff's officer since 2003, provided the photos to the newspaper, The Trentonian, which published them. Juvenile records are sealed and it is illegal to disclose them, the attorney general's office said. 

The two officers who shot Hearns have been identified as State Police Detective Doug Muraglia and Mercer County Sheriff's Officer James Udijohn in an investigative document obtained by NJ Advance Media. State Police Trooper Blair Astbury was the third officer identified, but he did not fire his weapon.

Hearns has since been charged with aggravated assault, possession of a handgun and possession of a defaced firearm. Hearns' attorney has denied his client had a gun.

Hearns, who is now 15, will be tried in juvenile court after authorities decided against seeking to have the case moved up to adult court.

Keith Brown may be reached at kbrown@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @KBrownTrenton. Find The Times of Trenton on Facebook.

 

East Windsor Schools interim superintendent Thomas Gialanella is stepping down Saturday, to be replaced by another interim superintendent Sunday.

EAST WINDSOR - East Windsor Schools are in the midst of change. Interim Superintendent Thomas Gialanella is officially resigning Saturday - a full month before the permanent superintendent takes over.

Gialanella announced his resignation at a school board meeting earlier this month, according to Board of Education President Alice Weisman. An announcement on the district's website Friday said that Gialanella was stepping down for "unforeseen personal reasons."

The board has already chosen Dr. Patrick Piegari as the next interim superintendent, a position he will hold for only a month until permanent superintendent Dr. Richard Katz starts Dec. 1, according to the website.

RELATED: East Windsor district names new superintendent

"(Gialanella) provided excellent leadership and demonstrated a strong commitment to our students and staff," the website stated. Weisman would not go into further detail about the personal reasons that prompted Gialanella's decision and the interim superintendent could not be reached Friday.

Piegari, who has experience as a teacher, superintendent and executive county superintendent, will take over the position Sunday, according to the website.

He will be working closely with Katz until the latter assumes the permanent position next month.

The news is the latest in nearly two years of superintendent turnover for the district.

Dr. Edward Forsthoffer held the position until he resigned in February of 2014 to move on to a position with Bordentown Regional Schools. Forsthoffer was followed by Interim Superintendent James Baker, who resigned in the summer of 2014.

The board picked Gialanella to follow Baker and, over a year later, decided on Katz to take over permanently. 

Anna Merriman may be reached at amerriman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @anna_merriman Find The Times of Trenton on Facebook. 

Hamilton police say three 17-year-old males have been charged with a total of 204 juvenile offenses and a 19-year-old Trenton man has been charged with 40 criminal summons.

HAMILTON -- Police have solved 34 vehicle break-ins that have plagued two Hamilton neighborhoods in the past several months, Hamilton police announced.

The department said Friday that three 17-year-old males have been charged with a total of 204 juvenile offenses and a 19-year-old Trenton man, Izjon Hill, has been charged with 40 criminal summons in connection with the vehicle burglaries.

Hamilton Police file photoMartin Griff/The Times 

The burglaries and thefts from vehicles occurred at the Traditions at Hamilton Crossing senior neighborhood on Sparrow Drive and in the Limewood Drive and Mint Leaf Drive neighborhoods, police said.

In mid August, police said at the time, 10 unlocked vehicles were entered at the Sparrow Drive development and items like charging cords for phones, GPS devices, sunglasses and loose change were stolen.

Police say the initial break in the case occurred in late August.

At 2 a.m. on Aug. 29, a Saturday, police Sgt. Ralph Fiasco was patrolling the Carl Sandburg Drive area when a witness who had just seen a group of males burglarizing a vehicle flagged him down, police said.

Fiasco broadcast a description of the males and officers David Leonardi and Brian DiBiasi responded to the area. A short time later, they pulled over a vehicle with occupants matching the burglars' descriptions and arrested two 17-year-old male on burglary charges, police said.

The teen suspects were subsequently released to their parents.

MORE: 10 unlocked cars burglarized in Hamilton senior development

Hamilton Detective Guy Agron investigated the burglaries and he recently wrapped up his investigation. Agron charged the two 17-year-olds arrested Aug. 29 with multiple, additional burglary and theft counts, police said.

Agron learned through the case that another seventeen 17-year-old male was involved in the burglaries, as well as Hill, and they were both also charged with multiple counts.

The names of the 17-year-old were not made public because they are minors.

The police department said Agron was able to return stolen property to many owners, but if any victims would like to inquire about the status of their case they can call the police's property/evidence officer at 609-581-4132. 

Kevin Shea may be reached at kshea@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter@kevintshea. Find The Times of Trenton on Facebook.

 

The National Transportation Safety Board late Saturday said a U.S. Navy search team discovered the wreckage at a depth of about 15,000 feet, in the vicinity of the ship's last known position after it disappeared during Hurricane Joaquin..

WASHINGTON--The wreckage of a sunken ship believed to be the El Faro, the cargo vessel owned by a New Jersey-based shipping firm that went missing in the Bermuda Triangle during Hurricane Joaquin, may have been found.

The National Transportation Safety Board late Saturday said a U.S. Navy search team discovered the wreckage at a depth of about 15,000 feet, in the vicinity of the ship's last known position.

Officials said sonar equipment on board the USNS Apache detected what they believed to be images of the vessel using a side-scanning sonar system, during the fifth of 13 planned search line surveys.

El Faro, a 735-foot cargo ship with 33 crew members aboard, was owned by TOTE Inc. of Princeton.

The Coast Guard said vessel went missing on Oct. 1 as it was battered by high winds and seas up to 50-feet, while on a regular weekly cargo run between Jacksonville, Florida, and Puerto Rico. Before communication with the ship was lost, its captain reported that it had lost propulsion, was taking on water and was listing.

NTSB officials said specialists on Apache will use a deep ocean, remotely operated robot to survey and confirm the identity of the wreckage. According the investigators, the sonar images are consistent with a 790-foot cargo ship.

The wreck was found in an upright position and in one piece.

Ted Sherman may be reached at tsherman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TedShermanSL. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

An undated photo provided by TOTE Maritime shows the cargo ship, El Faro, which departed Jacksonville, Fla., on Sept. 29, 2015 when Joaquin was still a tropical storm. The ship had 33 crew members. (TOTE Maritime via AP)

A recycling firm based in West Windsor is proposing to do just that at a 22-acre plant in Falls Township, Bucks County, hauling an estimated 175,000 tons of hazardous materials by train and truck every year to a site that is in downstream from the drinking-water supply for thousands of people.

It's an alluring concept: turning industrial liquid waste into clean water.

A recycling firm based in West Windsor is proposing to do just that at a 22-acre plant in Falls Township, Bucks County, hauling an estimated 175,000 tons of hazardous materials by train and truck every year to a site that is in downstream from the drinking-water supply for thousands of people.

What could possibly go wrong?

Plenty, warns the Philadelphia Water Department, which recently completed a computer simulation that found that a chemical spill at the treatment plant Elcon Recycling Services is looking to build could have a disastrous effect way beyond the perimeters of the proposed building.

Actually, the term the analysis used was "catastrophic."

RELATED: Proposed Pa. waste treatment plant could affect N.J.

"The water department's computer simulation makes it clear - chemical leaks, a spill or an accident so close to the Delaware River could threaten the drinking water for millions of people in Philadelphia and South Jersey," Fred Stine, citizen action coordinator of the Delaware Riverkeeper Network, said in a news release.

The advocacy group, established in 1988, raises awareness about environmental issues affecting the 330-mile waterway.

Stine's organization and others have joined to urge the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP) to deny Elcon's request for a permit to build the plant, citing concerns that the legacy of a possible spill at the facility would linger for days, if not longer.

"Where are those hazardous chemicals in the river in four days - Wilmington? Salem?," questioned Betty Tatham, vice president of Issues and Action with the League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania. "That cannot be acceptable to PADEP."

Not only drinking water, but also jobs and recreation would be imperiled, Tatham warned.

In Elcon's defense, company advisor Rengarajan Ramash said earlier this year that the facility under consideration will be a completely sealed system, "to the point there are no odors coming out."

But we're sobered by the water department's blunt warning that "the Elcon facility will be attracting regional hazardous waste via railways and highways into one of the most densely populated areas on the East Coast."

The water department has requested that Elcon provide more information regarding the transportation of hazardous materials via regional waterways. That's a reasonable demand, given the enormous risk involved.

Accidents happen. Spills happen. Leaks are a constant danger. We don't think anybody is over-reacting by pointing out the very real threat posed by placing a hazardous treatment plant so close to a potable water source.

Two Trenton residents suffered non-life-threatening injuries after being shot outside of Rho Waterfront in Trenton Saturday.

TRENTON - Two city residents suffered non-life-threatening injuries after being shot outside of Rho Waterfront nightclub in Trenton on Saturday, police said.

Trenton Police responded to a 1 a.m. call on Saturday reporting an altercation outside of Rho - 50 Riverview Plaza, Lt. Stephen Varn said.

File photo of a Trenton Police vehicle (Michael Mancuso | The Times of Trenton) 

Varn said an unknown male shot a 24-year-old Trenton man in the hand outside of the club around 1 a.m. and injured a 30-year-old Trenton woman when a bullet grazed her left arm.

ALSO: N.J. sheriff's officer charged with releasing teen's mug shot

The male suspect fled the scene before police arrived. The two victims were transported to Capital Health Regional Medical Center in Trenton where they stayed overnight and were treated for non-life-threatening injuries, Varn said.

The investigation is ongoing and no other information was readily available on Sunday about the altercation, victims or suspect.

Lindsay Rittenhouse may be reached at lrittenhouse@njadvancemedia.com. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

 

"A Palette of Pixels" details the industry's compelling artistic evolution through nearly two-dozen games

EWING -- In 1981, those who purchased video games based solely on their cover art were doomed for disappointment.

Artist Steve Hendricks depicted stoic kings for "Checkers," or planetary destruction for "Defender" -- with photo-realistic detail similar to today's products -- but the embryonic Atari 2600 games were comprised only of two-dimensional, blinking boxes, coupled with boops and beeps.

Of course, early titles like "Centipede" or "Space Invaders" are held in great esteem by first-generation gamers. But over the last three decades, perpetual advances in technology have spurred a transition from rudimentary design to dazzling, lifelike expression.

"A Palette of Pixels," a striking, new art exhibition at The College of New Jersey, details the industry's evolution through nearly two-dozen games, and their representative concept art and video screens of looping gameplay.

The exhibition, which is open to the public through Dec. 13, is broken into three "eras," explains Chris Ault, curator and associate professor of interactive multimedia at the college.

Atari games at "A Palette of Pixels," a new art exhibition at The College of New Jersey centered on the evolving art of video games. (Bobby Olivier | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)  

The first period is the aforementioned outset of video-gaming, where there was great disparity between the fantastical store-shelf graphics and the games themselves.

"There were these grand artistic visions but the technology just wasn't up to it," Ault says in a recent interview.

In "Era 1," vibrant images painted onto '80s arcade cabinets are juxtaposed with a screen of crude, flashing images of "Defender."  

MORE: 10 life lessons learned from playing video games 

But as the gallery snakes around to Era 2, visitors see a drastic leap forward, in both time and artistic prowess.

The dynamic, otherworldly concept art of blockbusters "God Of War III" (2010) and "BioShock" (2007) represents the first series of immersive games, bolstered greatly by the release of Playstation 2 (2000) and Xbox (2001).

"In Era 2, finally the technology was up to the task, and whatever you dreamt up, you were able to execute, but it was a relatively closed shop," say Ault, adding that although the emergence of early 2000s game engines were mega milestones, the only designers with access to the tools were those employed by large studios with considerable funding.

A world overview of "God Of War III" (2010) at "A Palette of Pixels," a new art exhibition at The College of New Jersey centered on the evolving art of video games. (Bobby Olivier | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)  

But in 2015, (Era 3), software to create beautiful, intuitive games is more accessible than ever, and teams of a handful -- or even one -- can produce in a week what used to take months. The advances have bred a shift to computer and console "indie games," which avid players now gravitate toward almost frequently as typical top sellers.

"Very small teams, now all of the sudden have this new avenue to show creative expression," Ault says. "People have freedom to choose whatever styles they want, from super-realistic to cartoons."

Among indie highlights in the exhibition are "Flower" (2009), a serene, "poetic adventure" game where users control the wind and blow petals across different landscapes, and "Journey" (2012), another minimalist game which Ault says is one of the most important titles of the last decade.

"It's so effective in creating an emotional atmosphere," he says. "It's very simple, and because of that simplicity, it invites you to feel so much. ... People can get absorbed very quickly."

Visitors can play "Journey," "Flower" and 25 other games on computers in the exhibition's interactive area.

Visitors observe stills from "FLOMM! THE BATTLE For MODeRN 1923" (2013) at "A Palette of Pixels," a new art exhibition at The College of New Jersey centered on the evolving art of video games. (Bobby Olivier | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)  

Ault hopes that through stills, video and sampling, the games which he, gallery director Emily Croll and TCNJ student Dom Portera, gathered will spawn a newfound appreciation for the medium as an artistic outlet.

"They may have walked into that room skeptical, but I'm confident they will leave realizing it's not unusual," he says. "It's engaging and evocative just like it was a gallery full of paintings."

"A Palette Of Pixels," Open to public until Dec. 13; Tuesday to Thursday 12 to 7 p.m., Sunday 1 to 3 p.m.; TCNJ Art Gallery, Art and Interactive Multimedia Building; The College of New Jersey; 2000 Pennington Rd., Ewing; Free. 

Bobby Olivier may be reached at bolivier@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @BobbyOlivier. Find NJ.com on Facebook. 

"Voting isn't the most we can do, but it is the least," the activist says. "The voting booth is the one place on earth where the least powerful equal the most powerful."

It's an old and tired punchline: What if they held an election and nobody came?

But if the poll takers are right, that's the likely scenario this time around, with no sexy presidential, congressional or gubernatorial races to drive voters to the polls despite widespread angst over the direction in which state government is headed.

A Rutgers-Eagleton poll released last Tuesday offered the sorry statistic that three-quarters of New Jersey residents were completely in the dark that any elections are taking place this week.

At stake in the state's 2015 balloting are all 80 seats in the Assembly, the lower house of the state Legislature, as well as numerous freeholder, council and school board seats at the county and municipal levels.

Not since 1999 have Assembly candidates topped the ballot. Thirty-eight percent of the state's registered voters turned out that year; by all estimates, we'll be lucky to break double digits this time around.

MORE: High drama highlights N.J. Assembly races

Civics professors and advocacy organizations as diverse as Rock the Vote and the American Legion knock their collective heads against the wall to entice citizens to the polling places.

They remind us that suffragist Susan B. Anthony was beaten and arrested in 1872 for having the audacity to try to vote. And that Freedom Fighters risked their lives - and some tragically lost those lives - fighting for the privilege of registering.

There's justifiable cause for cynicism when it comes to voting. We get that.

The Supreme Court's 2010 Citizens United decision regarding election spending by PACs and other interests made a mockery of the one-man-one-vote mandate; the justices followed that travesty up with a 2013 ruling essentially gutting the Voting Rights Act that had protected minority rights at the polls for half a century.

Still, enough challenges confront New Jersey residents that making your voice heard through the ballot box is less luxury than imperative.

Unemployment, rotting infrastructure, threats to the environment, the future of public education: These are problems whose solutions will be determined by the people you vote for today. Can you afford to sit it out and let somebody else decide who gets to make the laws?

One final thought as the day wears on and you haven't yet removed butt from sofa to go to the polls. It comes from Gloria Steinem.

"Voting isn't the most we can do, but it is the least," the activist says. "The voting booth is the one place on earth where the least powerful equal the most powerful."

A Princeton student said she awoke Saturday to find a person in a hooded sweatshirt in her bed.

PRINCETON - A Princeton University student awoke Saturday morning to find an unknown person with an arm around her in bed, according to a university.

A Princeton University Department of Public Safety vehicle is parked on campus in this file photo. Blair Hall is in background at left.Michael Mancuso/The Times of Trenton 

The student told university public safety officers that she woke up in her unlocked dorm room in 1915 Hall around 5 a.m. to find the person lying in her bed.

The student could not tell whether the intruder was a man or a woman, but was wearing a black, hooded sweatshirt and had an arm around the student, the email said.

The student told officers she screamed and the person ran from her room. She couldn't give any other description of the suspect.

ALSO: Man exposes himself to Princeton Univ. student on a towpath 

Department of Public Safety officers searched the area but couldn't find anyone Saturday morning. The department sent an email out to students the same day with information about the incident and urged them to call public safety at (609) 258-1000 with any relevant information.

Campus dorms are locked and inaccessible without a keycard, Daniel Day, a spokesperson for the university said. He clarified in an email Monday that any student with a valid keycard can enter any dorm - but that their keys grant them access only to their own rooms. 

In September, two students at Rider University were touched on separate occasions as they slept in their dorm rooms.

Hamilton man Jon Cannon, 24, was later charged with the crimes and was being held in jail on a $50,000 bond in early October. He has since been released from jail after posting bail.

Anna Merriman may be reached at amerriman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @anna_merriman Find The Times of Trenton on Facebook.

 

The phone number is a fax line for the Disability Services department at Educational Testing Service

Activist from a group known as Anonymous in this Nov. 5, 2013, file photo. (Chris Post | For lehighvalleylive.com) 

MERCER COUNTY - A fax line for a Lawrence Township-based Educational Testing Service is among a list of phone numbers released Monday that online activist group "Anonymous'' says are associated with the Ku Klux Klan.

The phone number is a fax line for the Disability Services Department at Educational Testing Service, according to the company's website. ETS, which has offices in Princeton and Ewing, designs and administers standardized tests, such as the GRE for Master's students and the Praxis test for teachers.

Tom Ewing, a spokesman for ETS, verified that the phone number was an ETS number, and said he was unsure why it would have been published by Anonymous.

"Obviously, the number was printed in error,'' Ewing said. "The number is used by our Disability Department, which helps students with disabilities arrange for accommodations for their testing.''

No other N.J.-based phone numbers appeared on the list.

MORE: KKK recruitment fliers left on doorsteps in N.J. town

Anonymous warned last week that they intended to release up to 1,000 names of alleged KKK members as part of its cyber war against the white supremacist group.

By early afternoon on Monday, there were 44 phone numbers and several dozen email addresses listed through the text-sharing site Pastebin.

Anonymous, in a statement, said that while the Klan had a right to free speech, it had no right to promote violence.

"You are terrorists that hide your identities beneath sheets and infiltrate society on every level,'' the statement said. "The privacy of the Ku Klux Klan no longer exists in cyberspace."

After members of the Klan threatened to attack police protesters in Ferguson, Mo., last year following protests associated with the shooting death of Michael Brown, Anonymous outed several Klansman and shut down the group's Twitter account and related websites.

The KKK counts 8,000 members in 40 states, including one group in New Jersey based out of Trenton, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center.

New Jersey was home to 40 hate groups in 2014, the fourth most in the country, according to the Law Center.

Keith Brown may be reached at kbrown@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @KBrownTrenton. Find The Times of Trenton on Facebook.

 

The athlete walked away from a game at the Lawrenceville School around 12:00 p.m. He was found around 2 p.m. on Carter Road in Hopewell Township

LAWRENCE TOWNSHIP - A 23-year-old Special Olympian who went missing from a soccer game at the Lawrenceville School Sunday and was found two hours later in Hopewell Township, authorities said.

Hopewell Township Police File PhotoKeith Brown/The Times 

The athlete, a soccer player on the autism spectrum, walked away from a game at the Lawrenceville School around 12:00 p.m. He was found around 2 p.m. on Carter Road in Hopewell Township - about 4.5 miles away - by Hopewell Township police, according to the Mercer County Sheriff's Office.

The Mercer County Sheriff's Office, Lawrence Township police, Lawrence Township fire companies, the State Police, Hopewell Township police and the Mercer County Sheriff's Office K-9 tracking unit assisted in the search, the sheriff's office said.

Keith Brown may be reached at kbrown@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @KBrownTrenton. Find The Times of Trenton on Facebook.