Mondays, PLAINFIELD TODAY is a digest of Plainfield-only news from the past week: That Was The Week That Was -- or TW3 -- with links to the online stories.
GOVERNMENT / POLITICS
Assemblyman Green's 'Police Chief' bill topped the political stories this week. I put the Assemblyman's press release verbatim as a post on Plainfield Today. Both the Courier (front page) and the Ledger reported on the bill, which would remove tenure from police chiefs, making them contractual employees (with a 3- to 5-year contract) and subject to performance review by a state panel to be established. A bad performance review would give the municipality the option of not renewing the contract. The Courier editorialized that the bill misses the mark -- as they see it, it is designed to remove Santiago. Plainfield Today begged to differ, arguing that Santiago couldn't be targeted for removal with the bill directly, but more importantly that the bill isn't broad enough -- it should include all tenured positions in local government.
Council Business: The Council has a full plate for tonight, as Bernice points out in the Plain Talker. She has previously covered several of the items in separate posts: "Raises for City Officials, Workers", "Cabinet Appointments for Confirmation", and "Partnership Benefits." The Courier reported on the domestic partner item, and went on to editorialize about it on Saturday; however, you will search in vain to find the Courier recommending domestic partner benefits as a good policy for any other community in their service area. If it's good for the goose, it's good for the gander, isn't it? I also ranted about what seems to me rudeness on the part of the Council toward the Mayor in how she is seated at agenda-setting sessions.
Dem Primary Candidates for the Wards 2/3 and Ward 1 seats have been an object of speculation for months. Would Jerry or wouldn't Jerry give the line to Van Blake and Burney? While the Courier only ran a brief notice, Bernice laid it out in a straight forward way in setting up Friday's Dem Committee meeting, and reported it without flourish in her Saturday post. She was too kind about the pay-to-play presentation. I would say it was a fine example of bloviation. All smoke, no mirrors. Oh yes, in case you missed it, it's Van Blake and Burney in the Primary.
Senior Center: Following up on the Mayor's monthly meeting with the Seniors, Plainfield Today had a post (the first of several to come) about the lesson the Seniors taught the McWilliams' administration when it proposed to locate the new center in the renovated Tepper's building. The Courier editorialized that it thought the Robinson-Briggs administration should explain the delay in getting the project under way.
'Poke a Stick' Award goes to Plainfield Today for a little item in Friday's H.I.T.S. section about the Plainfield Health Center. The tidbit reported opened the valve for more comments -- anonymous -- bringing up even more issues. These were pointed out in a separate post on Sunday, which has resulted in even more detailed issues coming forth (I'll report on these later).
Dan's mea culpa: On Saturday, I posted an update on my ill-tempered rant about the condition of the Cedar Brook, which meanders through the eponymously named County park. I was brought to my senses by Freeholder Adrian Mapp and April Stefel, point person for the City on the two County parks. Must have been colicky from eating the crabgrass...
Last Friday's Plainfield Today: "H.I.T.S.: Health Center scam?... Why Council's shabby treatment of mayor?..."
Last Monday's Plainfield Today: The Week That Was: "TW3: March 6 - 12, 2006"
CRIME
Murder No. 2: The shooting of Robert Cody, 19, on Tuesday, March 14, puts the murder rate at double that at this time last year. This is the second murder in less than a month. Not good. The Ledger story mentions the 'G' word [gang], and that a memorial of red candles had been erected by the young man's friends. The Courier quotes relatives as saying they think he was an innocent victim. Though former Councilwoman Joanne Hollis is quoted -- "As of March 2006, it is still going on." -- there is no comment from Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs. Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call detective Thomas Robertson of the Plainfield police department at (908) 753-3609 or detective Harvey Barnwell at the Union County prosecutor's office at (908) 527-4500.
Weapons / Gunplay: Police arrested Rashawn L. Rivera, 19, of 647 E. Seventh St., and Ronald L. Powell Jr., 20, of 52 Woodbine Ave. on March 12 after a chase, the Courier reported. A third occupant of the car got away. A loaded .357 Ruger handgun was found. Rivera was arrested on East Second Street February 21 carrying a loaded .44-caliber handgun. Here's a question or two: Do these weapons match up with shell casings at any of the neighborhood locations where people have complained of night-time gunshots? Or with the drive-by shootings on Liberty Street in the last couple of months?
Lecaros Murder: According to the Ledger, prosecutors are hoping the bumper from the car of one of the men accused of shooting Paul Lecaros to death on April 3, 2004, will be the key to a conviction. Lecaros, whose parents own the La Bamba bar on North Avenue, was on his way home with them after closing up the bar. The case is being tried before Judge Wertheimer in Elizabeth. The pair face up to 30 years if convicted.
Driver's License Scheme: The Courier and the Ledger both reported on a drivers' license scheme operated out of the South Plainfield MVC office in the Middlesex Mall. The couple, Harry Garcia-Montoya, and his wife, Miriam Rendas Garcia, are Plainfield residents. The scheme involved giving licenses to persons who failed to provide proper ID -- for an average of $3000 per license.
COMMUNITYCONNECTIONS?
Health Center/Schools Collaboration: "School program gets $75,000 grant"
Schools - CN: "Plainfield board, teachers fail to reach agreement at mediation"
..... - 'NCLB' Act: "Under-performing schools scramble to make the grade"
.......... - 67 schools -- 1 in Plainfield -- must raise test scores or undergo major changes
..... - Teachers Union Contract: "No pact since June in Plainfield"
Union County College: "High-school enrichment program gets $100K in federal funds"
Medicare: "Bills by Rep. Pallone and Sen. Lautenberg offer relief to druggists"
..... - Congressman Pallone visits Plainfield to push two programs
Stories with lessons for Plainfield
..... - ABC Complaints: "Hillside ABC board targets bar license"
..... - Brownfields Development: "Redeveloper brings a big reputation"
..... - Business: "Business Incubator Is Viewed as Crucial to North Amityville"
..... - City Finances: "City of Homes and Hoops Faces a Long Road Back"
..... - Civic Responsibility: "Sayreville ordinance promotes applying for posts"
..... - Commerce Bank: "Commerce Bank seeks Warren OK for branch"
..... - Community Center: "Community center remembers founder"
..... - Construction Corruption: "Shoddy building, shoddy ethics in Old Bridge"
..... - Crime Fighting: "E. Orange seeks volunteers to tell of crime via Web"
..... - Downtown Newark Revival: "Arts Center Has a Plan to Help Newark Revive"
.......... - SL: "Newark arts center shows off its plans for a grand high-rise"
.......... - "No city can be great without downtown housing." --Lawrence Goldman, CEO, NJPAC
..... - Eminent Domain - CN: "Eminent-domain opponents appeal to Assembly"
.......... - SL: "Angry citizens get their say on eminent domain"
..... - Grant misapplied: "S. Orange trustees admit grant cannot be applied to project"
..... - Gentrification: "Hell's Kitchen, Swept Out and Remodeled"
..... - Gentrification: "Montclair trend is trouble for an 'oasis'"
..... - Illegal Apartments: "Clifton targets illegal dwellings"
.......... - "Panel created to revisit tabled rental ordinance in Kenilworth"
..... - Open Government - Editorial, CN: "Sunshine Week about the fight to know"
..... - Population Counts: "Demographers Beg to Differ with way Census counts are reached"
..... - Public Meetings: "Group uses video to help put town leaders under spotlight"
..... - Public Records: "N.J. public records law praised"
..... - Public Records: "Are N.J. open records close to being closed?"
..... - Redevelopment: "Warehouse tenant battles on fate of building"
..... - Regionalization: "Corzine prods towns to regionalize"
..... - Rent-to-own fees - CN: "Rent-to-own stores must cap interest rates at 30 percent"
.......... - SL: "Rent-to-own stores get 'capped'"
..... - Retail: "Now Booming, Not Burning, the Bronx Fears a Downside"
..... - Pharmacies: "Small Pharmacists Say Medicare Drug Plan Threatens Their Income"
..... - Rt. 78 Alert: "Clinton Avenue ramp work expected to unsnarl Newark"
..... - Salaries: "Eye-popping clerk's pay is latest brouhaha in town"
..... - Shared Housing: "Some Gang Up To Control Costs...and Break The Law"
ET CETERA
OpEd, CN: Tiffany Corbett: "Plainfield teachers deserve new contract"
..... - Ms. Corbett is a highly-regarded teacher at Plainfield High School
Letter to Editor, CN: Rasheed Abdul-Haqq: "Education needs big steps forward"
..... - Abdul-Haqq is a candidate for the Board of Education
Letter to Editor, CN: Nan Anderson: "Divided Plainfield fails the children"
..... - Anderson, daughter of the late Helen Miller, is a School Board candidate
Letter to Editor: Earl Canady: "Seniors should focus on youth"
Obituary: "Margaret M. Thomas, 101, a founder of the Plainfield Symphony"
Shore Vacation?: Check out this new site
U Akron student, Plainfielder: "Family questions school's handling of son acquitted in court"
..... -"Suicide case illustrates differences between court and campus justice"
UC Magnet School: "Plainfield student will speak to state school board"
Women's History Month Film: "Film on Chisholm scheduled at library"
-- Dan Damon
Keywords: TW3
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