The university says they're the first in the state to offer such a program

Rider University has announced it will offer a bachelor of science in business administration with a major in business analytics in the spring of 2018.

The university says they're the first private college or university in the state to offer an accredited bachelor's program in business analytics.

The new major, which will be housed in the university's College of Business Administration (CBA) aims to prepare students for an in-demand career as business analytics have become a necessity in the corporate world across industries.

 "The new bachelor's program is designed to provide students with rigorous, multidisciplinary training so they can turn data into actionable insights," CBA Dean Cynthia Newman said in a statement. "Graduates of this program will be able to articulately communicate these insights to improve business decision making."

Students will also have the ability to customize their course of study by selecting elective courses within the six tracks available: marketing, finance, programming, statistics, global supply chain management or health care management.

The specific tracks allow students to better prepare themselves for careers in areas such as, operations research analysts, market research analysists, management analysists and finance analysists.

Olivia Rizzo may be reached at orizzo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @LivRizz. Find NJ.com on Facebook

The correction center's two wardens were recently accused in a lawsuit of trying to force a colleague into a sexual threesome

The Mercer County Prosecutor's Office will be investigating "recent allegations" regarding the leadership at the Mercer County Correction Center, a county spokeswoman said Monday afternoon.

NJ Advance Media learned of the investigation while seeking comment from the county about a compliant filed last Thursday by the Mercer County corrections officers union against Warden Charles Ellis and Deputy Warden Phyllis Oliver.

The union, PBA Local 167, alleged mismanagement and malfeasance by Ellis and Oliver. The claim says Ellis enabled the deputy warden to accrue "outrageous" overtime and comp time totals from 2014 through 2016, which allowed her paycheck to balloon to over $200,000 each year.

It's unclear what exactly triggered the investigation, since Ellis and Oliver were also recently accused, in a civil lawsuit, of trying to force a sexual threesome with a female colleague at the jail. The two denied that allegation through a county spokesperson.

The suit claims that after the woman refused Ellis and Oliver's sexual advances, the employee, a nurse at the jail, and her partner, a corrections lieutenant, faced workplace retaliation.

Mercer County spokeswoman Julie Willmot declined to elaborate beyond a statement, which said:

"In light of the recent allegations with respect to the Mercer County Correction Center, the Mercer County Prosecutor's Office has indicated that it will undertake an investigation of the correction center as part of the MCPO's law enforcement responsibilities in Mercer County. The County will fully cooperate with the investigation."

The prosecutor's office could not immediately be reached for comment about the investigation.

Former investigator says Mercer jail mismanaged, lax on procedures

In its latest complaint, the union, which has been battling the county over the administration's proposal to basically close the jail and send inmates to Hudson County, said Ellis and Oliver "whisper" about excessive overtime and violations of rules by the officers.

"But the truth is that Oliver is the offender, and the Warden is her enabler," the union said in a statement.

The union produced Oliver's pay records and overtime requests, which Ellis signed, for the years 2014 through 2016, which they say they obtained through an Open Public Records Act (OPRA) request.

Oliver routinely got overtime for "on call time" or "paperwork" or "reports." Once, she claimed "16 or 18 hours of overtime plus 8 hours of regular work in the same day."

"(Oliver's) overtime claims are in violation of rules and common sense," the union said and urged the county to investigate.

In 2014, the records show, Oliver, then a corrections lieutenant, took home regular pay of more than $93,000, and over $79,000 in overtime. By the time her sick and vacation pay was tallied, her total pay was over $200,000.

In 2015, Oliver banked over $114,000 in overtime and netted over $233,000.

In 2016, Oliver lost a state Civil Service decision that barred her from continuing as a lieutenant, the union said, but was named deputy warden by the county.

"Her reward for this negative decision was a $20,000 increase in pensionable salary and an enhanced management role as Deputy Warden, notwithstanding her lack of qualifications for this promotion," the union argued.

Also, Oliver had built up a compensatory (comp time) bank of over 1,000 hours, which she cashed out in regular, monthly increments during 2016, the records show. The union alleges she waited to do so to use her new, deputy warden salary rate.

Oliver cashed in over 1,100 hours of comp time in regular increments in 2016, putting an additional $68,000 in pay, and totaled over over $208,000 in net pay that year.

Mercer/Hudson jail plan consultants have Hudson ties, union says

During all this, Ellis and Oliver, "meted out harsh punishments against officers for being a minute or two late to work or claimed that an officer they did not favor should be harshly disciplined for minor violations of rules," the union said.

"The PBA submits this is part of a pattern of mismanagement and malfeasance at the jail that creates a false impression of problems in the jail that are being used to support closing the jail," the union's statement said.

Overtime at the Mercer County Correction center is not a new topic, though. An NJ Advance Media study of all 21 counties in 2015 found Mercer led all counties in overtime spending four times in the previous five years.

It averaged more than $8 million a year in jail overtime - more than the most populous county in New Jersey, Bergen, spent in all five years examined.

Kevin Shea may be reached at kshea@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter@kevintshea. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

The blaze was contained to the second floor.

Flames damaged a home on Terrill Avenue and a firefighter suffered a leg injury when responding to the blaze off Quakerbridge Road Monday afternoon, a fire department spokesman said.

Firefighters from Squad 12 arrived at the house just after 2 p.m. and found smoke and flames coming from the second floor, fire spokesman Capt. Ferdinand Mather said.

Fire companies were able to contain the flames to the attic and walls and no occupants were injured. The injured firefighter was taken to a local hospital for a leg injury and released a short time later, Mather said.

The fire remains under investigation by a township fire marshal. Several other township fire companies responded, along with Robbinsville's Squad 40.

Kevin Shea may be reached at kshea@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter@kevintshea. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Womenspace and Mercer County police departments are reaching out to the community, recruiting volunteers to become members of the area's Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Response Teams.

These cold, dark nights can loom as terrifying, even deadly, for victims of domestic abuse. Their homes are anything but the refuge from violence a home should be.

Too often, the rare source of light comes from their contact with the volunteers who work for Womanspace, which since 2010 has been offering crisis intervention, emergency shelter and counseling to women and men with no place else to turn.

Last year alone, the nonprofit responded 539 times when victims reached out.

Now Womenspace and Mercer County police departments are reaching out to the community, recruiting volunteers to become members of the area's Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Response Teams.

It's not a commitment to be taken lightly. If you apply and are accepted, you'll undergo 80 hours of training at Rider University, leading up to a graduation ceremony in May.

Womanspace seeks volunteers for response teams

You will learn how to work with your local police department, offering support and guidance at what for many abuse victims is one of the darkest moments of their lives.

You'll meet these clients at police headquarters when an attack or incident has occurred, helping them make educated choices about what comes next.

You will advocate for them in court, or find them shelter, or steer them toward trained counselors who will help them find their way out of the darkness.

"Womanspace helped me 12 years ago," one former beneficiary of the organization's services posted on its Facebook page.

"I was in a violent relationship and I definitely was not in my right mind frame ... Even tho it took a lot to reprogram my mind back into a position of growth, power, forgiveness and love ... I did it and I will forever hold this place in my heart."

Clients who seek out the agency come from all socio-economic and geographical areas in the county, representing a broad spectrum of cultural, racial and religious backgrounds.

Services are provided whether or not they have the means to pay.

Domestic abuse and sexual assault are all about power, control and humiliation. This is not solely a women's issue - although three-quarters of those on the receiving end are women.

Rather, it's a human issue, a public policy issue. Moreover, it's way more prevalent than you might think: Police in the Garden State responded to more than 70,000 reports of violence annually over the past few years.

If you're 18 years or older, if you have a valid driver's license and access to transportation, if you have no criminal record and are willing to submit information for a background check and interview - Womenspace is waiting to hear from you.

Anyone interested can contact Heidi Mueller, Domestic Violence Response Team coordinator, at 609-394-0136, or at dvvrt@womanspace.org.

Bookmark NJ.com/Opinion. Follow on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and find NJ.com Opinion on Facebook.

See what happened this week in ice hockey across New Jersey.

Who shined in the past week on the basketball court?

A bill that could dramatically effect the landscape of New Jersey high school sports is one step away from becoming state law.

The potential for so-called “super teams” in New Jersey is now one signature away.

On Monday, despite state legislation showing signs of wavering after previously voting unanimously in favor of a bill that could dramatically impact the landscape of high school sports, the state full Senate and full Assembly passed Bills S2337 and A5254 by 24-10 and 52-14 margins, respectively.

The pair of companion bills needed 21 votes in the Senate and 41 in the Assembly. The bill initially passed both house committees by a combined 41-0 margin last month.

It will now be in the hands of Gov. Chris Christie, who has the power to sign the legislation into law, which under new amendments will go into effect July 1, or veto the bill altogether.

RELATED: ‘Unprecedented’ N.J. bill could open door for high school sports ‘super teams’

Public opposition from the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association last week, spearheaded by new Executive Director Larry White, urged school officials and others to contact local state lawmakers and voice concern over a bill that could dramatically alter the landscape of high school sports in New Jersey.

The bill would allow public schools to merge varsity programs within the same district facing low participation numbers, financial constraints or safety concerns — regardless of sport or enrollment size — without any oversight from the NJSIAA.

It is the first time state lawmakers have attempted to pass a law that would directly impact NJSIAA bylaws, an “unprecedented” move from state legislation, NJSIAA assistant director Kim DeGraw-Cole said last week.

“[The] NJSIAA will continue to monitor the progress of the bills, consider both their impact and implementation and take whatever steps possible to ensure student-athletes are not adversely effected,” White said in a statement Monday.

Prior to the bills passing both houses, Sen. Paul Sarlo voiced displeasure with the legislation on Twitter and attempted to lead a charge to defeat it because it “would create havoc for public high school athletic programs in NJ.”

“We don’t need public all star teams, we already have the parochial schools recruiting,” Sarlo tweeted.

The NJSIAA’s fight against the bill showed a glimmer of hope early Monday that it would not pass the Senate and reach the Assembly after amendments were made following a second reading — though no revisions had to do with the co-op portion of the bill.

Instead, it became “permissive, rather mandatory” for school districts to allow home schooled students, charter school students and non-public students to participate in high school athletics in the student’s district of residence.

Sen. Diane Allen, initially one of the bill’s co-sponsors, voted no the revised bill, which reached the full Senate after a vote of 16-10 with 14 others not voting.

JJ Conrad may be reached at jconrad@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @jj_conrad. Like NJ.com High School Sports on Facebook.

Police were patrolling Hewitt Street the area after a music video was posted to YouTube which featured gang members with guns

A rap music video made by the "H-block" gang in Trenton led to the arrest of an 18-year-old on firearm possession charges, prosecutors said.

Shaquan Brown, 18, was arrested on weapons charges and obstructing justice on Hewitt Street in Trenton's Chambersburg neighborhood on Jan. 1. 

Trenton police were patrolling the area after a music video was posted to YouTube which featured gang members standing outside of a house on Hewitt Street with guns, a prosecutor said in court Tuesday at his detention hearing.

Brown was sitting in a parked car with others outside the home who were pictured in the music video. 

Brown did not appear in the music video, but he had been barred from the home for a year after a 2016 weapons charge when he was a juvenile.

When police approached the car, "the defendant frantically shoved something into his pocket," said Mercer County Assistant Prosecutor Judah Babuschak Opacki.

Police found a loaded and defaced handgun on Brown, and when officers began to arrest him, he became "combative and violent," according to Opacki.  

"I don't want to label him as a gang member or affiliate, there's not enough evidence of that," said Mercer County Superior Court Judge Ronald Susswein.

Defense attorney Laura Yeade argued against detaining Brown in jail prior to trial, saying any concerns about her client's whereabouts could be addressed with monthly reporting, and by adhering to a curfew.

Susswein found that due to Brown's juvenile history he presented a danger to the community, and ordered him detained pending the resolution of his case.

Olivia Rizzo may be reached at orizzo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @LivRizz. Find NJ.com on Facebook 

There is a new No. 1 at 152 pounds plus other changes in the second NJ.com weight class rankings of 2018.

Cedrick Hodges wants to start the speedy trial clock on his case

A Trenton man who allegedly stole a car and then went on a shooting spree in Hamilton last month - wounding two people - agreed to remain in jail Tuesday. 

Cedrick Hodges, 34, was charged with attempted murder, carjacking, aggravated assault and weapons offenses after he was arrested by Hamilton police.

Cedric Hodges

Police have said Hodges was the man who first jumped into the car of a 53-year-old woman in the 2300 block of South Broad Street and pointed a sawed-off shot gun at her and demanded her vehicle, police said.

The woman fled the vehicle and called her husband for help. When he arrived, Hodges fired his weapon at the couple but missed, according to police.

While searching the area, police saw Hodges struggling with a 67-year-old man on the 200 block of Lafayette Avenue.

The man had a gunshot wound to the arm and was taken to a local hospital, where they found a 25-year-old Trenton resident who suffered gunshot wounds to the arm and chest - allegedly shot by Hodges as well.

Hodges was released from prison in September after serving a sentence for another crime spree he committed in 2000 in Mercer County, when he was 17 years old. 

He is currently being held in state prison on a parole violation. Hodges on Tuesday agreed to remain in jail pending the resolution of his case, and in order to start the speedy trial clock. 

Olivia Rizzo may be reached at orizzo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @LivRizz. Find NJ.com on Facebook

University Medical Center of Princeton at Plainsboro is changing to Penn Medicine Princeton Medical Center

Princeton HealthCare facilities, including their 308-bed hospital in Plainsboro, officially joined the University of Pennsylvania Health System Tuesday - better known as Penn Medicine.

Both organizations announced that the deal, first announced in December 2016, had received all necessary regulatory approvals.

The names of the Princeton HealthCare facilities are changing, the announcement said.

The system will be known as Penn Medicine Princeton Health, and the hospital will be called Penn Medicine Princeton Medical Center. (It had been known as University Medical Center of Princeton at Plainsboro.)

Other Princeton HealthCare name changes can be viewed here.

"This is a significant day in our history, and we look forward to being an even stronger organization, clinically and financially, as we continue to fulfill our almost century-old mission of serving this community," Princeton Health President and CEO Barry S. Rabner said in the statement.

Kim Pimley, chair of Princeton HealthCare's board of trustees, said it's the end of a two-year process to evaluate the best partner for the health system.

"In Penn Medicine, we found a partner that shares our values. Together, we can make world-class care more accessible to the people in the communities we serve. We are delighted to begin a shared future with Penn Medicine," Pimley said

In 2016, Princeton HealthCare officials said Penn Medicine was selected after a review of partnership possibilities with 17 healthcare systems.

The Plainsboro hospital opened in 2012 and replaced the former Princeton Medical Center hospital in downtown Princeton.

Kevin Shea may be reached at kshea@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter@kevintshea. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Dr. Crystal Edwards was named to a post overseeing 8,000 students

Lawrence Township's schools superintendent Dr. Crystal Edwards is leaving the district to become the superintendent in Lynchburg, Va., a city of 80,000, Lawrence schools announced.

Edwards told the school board in December of her intent to leave the district, with a retirement date of June 1, 2018. Her retirement will be on the board's docket at it's meeting tonight, Wed. Jan. 10.

When news of Edwards being named to the Lynchburg post was made public in late December, parents there became concerned of the Lawrence teachers union's "no confidence" vote in Edwards from late 2016, WSET television reported.

The Lynchburg district stands by Edwards, saying they properly vetted her after she topped 70 applications for the post, in which she will oversee 8,000 students in 16 schools, the station reported. Nevertheless, Lynchburg officials invited parents to a meeting next week, Jan. 16, to discuss their concerns.

Edwards started in Lawrence in March 2006 as the assistant superintendent of instructional services and was named superintendent in September 2011.

She began her now 30-plus year New Jersey teaching career in East Orange, and taught in Hillsborough, Metuchen and Highland Park before Lawrence.

Kevin Shea may be reached at kshea@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter@kevintshea. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

An East Windsor woman garnered more than 6,000 signatures on an online petition urging Oprah Winfrey to run for president. Watch video

WASHINGTON -- Anastasia Khramova was watching Oprah Winfrey's speech at the Golden Globes Award with her mother, Tatyana Petro, when she had an epiphany: Let's urge her to run for president.

She posted a petition online, calling her speech "a passionate call for justice" that "showed she has the moral integrity to make a serious presidential run." 

"I want Oprah to know she's a wonderful person," said Khramova, 30, a former hairdresser who lives in East Windsor. "I loved her speech. I think she would be a great president."

Why Oprah won't be president, or will be

The petition was posted on Care2, a site for progressive causes such as animal rights, corporate accountability and the environment.

"Oprah's speech at the 2018 Golden Globes was just amazing," she wrote on the site. "She should run for president, she would be the best candidate in history, especially as a woman!"

Khramova said she enlisted 100 friends to sign the petition and and then share it with their friends. After two days, she blew through her initial goal of 6,000 signatures.

"The whole point of the petition is to motivate her to run," Khramova said. "I was little bit surprised and overwhelmed with the amount of support I'm getting."

The Oprah for president boomlet followed her speech after winning the Cecil B. DeMille Award for lifetime achievement on Sunday night.

"A new day is on the horizon," Oprah said. "And when that new day finally dawns, it will be because of a lot of magnificent women, many of whom are right here in this room tonight, and some pretty phenomenal men, fighting hard to make sure that they become the leaders who take us to the time when nobody ever has to say 'Me too' again."

Oprah/Michelle 2020

-- Sarah Silverman (@SarahKSilverman) January 8, 2018

Given that reality TV star Donald Trump won the presidency for the Republicans with no previous government experience, could Oprah do the same for the Democrats?

"I know that it would be a gift to the United States of America if she decided to get formally involved," said U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., also mentioned as a potential 2020 Democratic presidential nominee.

Trump told reporters that he would didn't expect to get the chance to run against her but would win if she ran.

"Yeah, I'll beat Oprah," Trump said. "I like Oprah. I don't think she's going to run."

Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant or on Facebook. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.

Niche.com released its latest best school rankings; click here to see where your school checks in.

See which players are at the top of each statistical list early in the season.

A look at the top statistical leaders from across the state.

The NJSIAA is making one last attempt to prevent the bill that could allow so-called "super teams" from being signed into law.

The NJSIAA is making one last attempt to prevent the bill that could allow so-called "super teams" from becoming law.

Two days after the bill – which allows schools within the same district to form co-op teams without oversight – passed the state legislature, NJSIAA executive director Larry White said he is still hoping that Gov. Chris Christie can be persuaded not to sign it.

"At this point, we're trying to get to the governor's counsel – maybe to the governor himself– to just see possibly if he would just pocket veto, not move on it," White said. 

White said the NJSIAA is asking school officials to reach out to the Christie's office to make the case against the bill.

RELATED: ‘Super team’ bill passes, could become law despite NJSIAA opposition

For the bill to become law, Christie needs to sign it before Jan. 16 – his last day in office. If he does not, the bill will die and have to be reintroduced in the next legislative session under new Gov. Phil Murphy. If signed, under the new amendments, the law would go into effect July 1.

The NJSIAA Executive Committee discussed the legislation during part of its 23-minute closed session at the association's Robbinsville headquarters on Wednesday.

"There's a lot of things to the general public, that they don't see the unintended consequences of what this bill could very much bring about," White said. 

The NJSIAA argues that the bill opens the door for school districts to form de facto all-star teams by merging programs, even when participation numbers or safety concerns are not an issue.

White also worries that schools could be tempted to merge programs to help solve financial issues within the district, thereby limiting the chance for students to participate by eliminating teams.

The association also believes the bill is unfair to schools in single-school districts, which will still have to go through the NJSIAA's oversight process in order to form a co-op.

"If you're a Group 3 (or larger), we have some sports that you can't co-op in," White said. "This bill allows these multiple-school districts to do that."

PLUS: ‘Unprecedented’ N.J. bill could open door for HS sports ‘super teams’

Should the law be enacted, the NJSIAA could potentially move to relax the co-op rules in place for single-school districts, White said. But doing so would be complicated and slow – requiring a 16-18 month process of altering the NJSIAA bylaws – and would require its member schools to decide it should act on the matter.

Supporters of the bill say it’s a necessary change during a time when some sports are facing declining participation numbers and districts are facing greater financial constraints.

"The NJSIAA set the timeline by their initial refusal to address the underlying issues our bill fixed," Assemblyman Daniel R. Benson (D-Mercer/Middlesex) said last week. "These reforms are reasonable and takes in the concerns of all stakeholders."

But even if the bill's supporters win out and Christie puts pen to paper, the NJSIAA is leaving open the possibility for further action.

"That's where the legal department for NJSIAA would have to then look into that to see if there are some legal things we could do," White said. "That would come through the Executive Committee of the NJSIAA, though...if this becomes law, the committee would have to say, 'Well, we want our legal counsel to pursue legal remedies to see if we can go to the court, or something like that.'

"They may say, 'No, let's just deal with it and then do what we have to do to make the best of a not so good situation.'"

Either way, though, White is confident that the association will survive what has become the first time state lawmakers ever attempted to pass a law that would directly impact NJSIAA bylaws.

"I look at it this way – they say something about steel being strengthened by fire," White said. "No matter what happens...we'll get through it, we'll do what we have to do to still be, as many people believe, one of the leading state associations in the country."

NJ Advance Media staff writer JJ Conrad contributed to this report.

Matt Stypulkoski may be reached at mstypulkoski@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @M_Stypulkoski. Like NJ.com High School Sports on Facebook.

Robbinsville says the hydroponic farm - located in a 40-foot metal shipping container - should be in full production by the spring

Robbinsville's hydroponic box farm is running at about 25 percent and the town hopes to make its first donations to local food pantries and soup kitchens in about a month.

"By then we have the potential to harvest 1,000 mini heads, or 500 full heads of lettuce a week. Our plants are looking very healthy, and we expect a great first harvest by the beginning of February," Kyle Clement, who's coordinating the farm, said Wednesday.

Robbinsville debuted their box farm, also called a vertical farm, in late November. The company that builds them, Freight Farms, calls it a Leafy Green Machine.

So far, the town is growing two types of lettuce, Rex-brand butterhead and New Red Fire-brand leafy.

Clement said the farm currently has 450 germinating plants, 600 seedlings and 544 maturing mini lettuce heads. On tap are Buttercrunch-brand bibb lettuce and Coastal Star romaine varieties, Clement said.

Anyone interested in following the farm's progress can do so on Facebook here, and Clement said they're looking for volunteers to work the farm. Anyone interested can contact Clement at kclement@robbinsville.net.

Town sees big future in small, hydroponic box 'farm'

The town paid $104,000 for the box farm and has big plans for its future, officials have said.

They want to grow leafy greens all year round, and the box allows them to do so without the worry of weather or the need for soil or pesticides, and donate - or provide at a low cost - greens to local organizations. (Hydroponics is the science of growing plants in nutrient-rich water.)

Robbinsville officials have also said they eventually start community share garden and sell greens to residents, maybe with a set monthly fee. The town hopes to pay off the box in five to seven years.

And, the farm is also seen as a key educational tool for schools and community engagement.

Kevin Shea may be reached at kshea@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter@kevintshea. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

An associate was sentenced to 10 years behind bars as well, federal authorities say

The man authorities say called the shots atop an organized, well-armed heroin dealing operation in Trenton was sentenced to over 14 years in federal prison Wednesday.

Ishmael "Ish" Abdullah, 27, had pleaded guilty last August to two federal crimes and admitted to conspiring with others to dealing at least 400 grams of heroin, and possessing a firearm as a convicted felon.

On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Freda L. Wolfson, in Trenton, sentenced him to 176 months, the U.S. Attorney's Office in New Jersey announced.

Abdullah also uses the street names "Gangsta" and "Papi.

Federal authorities named the heroin gang that operated from Trenton's Spring Street neighborhood until December 2016 after him - labeling it the Abdullah DTO (drug trafficking organization.)

He was arrested with the nine others when Trenton police and federal agents raided multiple locations in Trenton.

Abdullah and his lieutenants, which included his brother, Elijah "Uncle E" Abdullah, ran a well-executed effort to supply heroin in the Trenton area and were always armed or moments moments away from a gun, officials have said.

Ishmael Abdullah used codes with his lieutenants to buy, store, distribute - and then resupply the heroin, officials said.

One of them was Prince Sarnoe, who was sentenced to 10 years behind bars Wednesday, also by Judge Wolfson. The 30-year-old pleaded guilty in September to to unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Federal investigators and Trenton detectives say they listened to the suspects' calls and text messages during the investigation, which started in the summer of 2015 and concluded with the arrests at the end of 2016.

Kevin Shea may be reached at kshea@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter@kevintshea. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Do you know the artist? Let us know

Snowman is definitely not the right word.

Art is more like it.

A sculpture made of snow on the East Front Street side of Mill Hill Park in downtown Trenton is causing people to stop, pull out their cell phones and admire the handiwork.

The life-size figure has an enigmatic face and looks more like a marble sculpture than any snowman. The upward tilt of the head brings to mind the mysterious statues of Easter Island in the South Pacific.

The artist who created the piece did so on Tuesday as temperatures were rising following the recent Arctic blast and blizzard. It's now slowly melting away.

So who is this artist?

Maria Festa-Miller posted a picture of the artist and his design on her Facebook page, but it did not name the sculptor.

Trenton Fire Dept. to the rescue!

Among those passing by Tuesday were a company of city firefighters, who also stopped by and watched the artist finish the work. They also snapped a picture of the artist, who said his name is Walter Roberts Jr., a firefighter said.

We'd like to meet the artist and learn more about him. If you know how to contact him, let us know via email below or in the comments section.

Michael Mancuso may be reached at mmancuso@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @michaelmancuso Find NJ.com on Facebook.