Monday, May 01, 2006

TW3: April 24 - April 30 - Plainfield-centered news digest of the past week

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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

MAYOR'S '100 DAYS' REPORT: Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs presented her '100 Days' report to a large crowd at the Washington Community School on Thursday evening, as reported in the Courier, the Ledger, and by Bernice with two pieces: one on the report itself and another focusing on the proposal for four 'Transit Villages.'

The runup to the meeting got notice from the Courier and from Plainfield Today (Tuesday:
"Found in today's garbage...", Wednesday: "Confusion over Mayor's '100 Days' Town Meeting", and Thursday: "More than flyers found in the garbage..."). I did not track any notice in the Ledger. Because they didn't print it? Or because they didn't get it? Answer unknown.

Dan noted his puzzlement over the Prosecutor's remark quoted in the Courier story of the fatality in which a North Plainfield man was struck and killed by a police cruiser responding to a call reporting gunshots on Putnam Avenue. Seems the Prosecutor was not making any particular comment about 'good guys/bad guys' among the Plainfield police, but just saying that Det. Henderson 'was a good guy.' 'Nuf said.

With the growing role that guns and gunplay are playing in crime in the city and hooliganism in the neighborhoods, it is to be hoped that the Mayor picks up on the effort spearheaded by New York City's Mayor Bloomberg to address gun violence in a new and more effective way.



CRIME
: The tragic news this week is that 17-year-old Sergio Suarez succumbed to the gunshot wound he received to the head across the corner from McDonald's on West Front Street. Murder number 4 for 2006 now, as reported by the Courier on Saturday. The Ledger weighed in on Sunday -- print edition only.

NYC police apprehended Donald G. Johnson, sought on a murder warrant in the March 15 shooting death of 19-year-old Robert Cody on Liberty Street, as reported by the Courier and the New York Times. Seriously wounded in the arrest, Johnson may be paralyzed as a result, according to the reports.

James Lyles, the aspiring boxer shot in the East End week before last was reported to still be in critical condition
in last Monday's Ledger. While the circumstances surrounding the shooting are confusing, there has been no update on Lyles' condition since.

Melvin Watson was arrested after shooting himself in the wrist accidentally with a gun concealed in his jacked pocket while eating at a South Avenue restaurant. A check revealed the gun was stolen in Pennsylvania. Watson was charged with unlawful possession and receiving stolen property, as reported by Courier and the Ledger.

A resident in the 1100-block of Kenyon Avenue took matters into his own hands upon discovering a small motorcycle stolen from his garage about 1:00 AM Monday. He caught Taj Smith pushing the bike down the street. A fight ensued and Smith was stabbed. He was listed in critical condition in the Courier report. The Ledger says both "could" face charges.

DRUGS: James Jordan and Dacha Atkinson were arrested for running a drug delivery business out of an apartment at 601 Central Avenue, as reported by the Courier on Saturday.

ELUDING: David Carson was arrested by Scotch Plains police after trying to elude them on Route 22. He was also tagged for driving while suspended and on an outstanding warrant from Essex County, as reported by the Ledger.

LAST WEEK'S HITS: "H.I.T.S.: Illegal rooming houses... New Finance director?... Kenyon Ave waits for a callback... Jocelyn wages war?... Drugs where!!?..."
LAST WEEK'S TW3: "TW3: April 17 - April 23, 2006" - Digest of the week's Plainfield news


COMMUNITY

Arbor Day Tree Planting [last item]: "City will plant 100 trees today"

..... - Plain Talker: "Block Leader Honored On Arbor Day"
Brunch Saturday: "Radio station to honor Newark mayor" -- Sharpe, Maddox expected...
Crescent Concerts: "Festival of French organ music set for Sunday"
Mexican Festival [next to last item]: "Mexican festival starts today, continues Sunday"
PHS Baseball: "Plainfield making run at state tournament"
PHS Track & Field: "Track & Field Performance List"

'Plainfield Cooks' [next to last item]: "Plainfield Cooks set for Saturday"
..... -Plainfield Today: "'Plainfield Cooks' eat-for-scholarships event today"
Plainfield Symphony: "Pops Concert Tonight, 8:00 PM"

Rabies Clinic [last item]: "City offering free rabies inoculations"



CONNECTIONS? FOOD FOR THOUGHT

- Budgets: "As fiscal year ends, Perth Amboy still without budget; State has questions"
- Cops and Drugs: "Prosecutor can test cops for drugs, including steroids"
...- "'One bad cop' tells judge he's big-time drug dealer; led million-dollar ring"
- Eminent Domain:
"In Baldwin, LI, It's Revival for Some, Survival for Others"
...- "All eyes are on Mount Laurel eminent domain suit"
- Free Wireless Acess: "Suffolk County Plans to Offer Free Wireless Internet Access"
- 'Gaming' Housing Subsidies: "Retired Morris employee indicted for rent fraud"
- Gun Violence: "Seeking a National Voice, 15 Mayors Meet on Gun Violence"
...- E.J. Dionne, WP: "Mayors take lead in gun violence debate"
- Guns: "Cops recover assault weapon, all but invisible to X-rays"
- Hillside: "Mayor's rift with party deepens as ally is forced to resign"
- Immigrants/Immigration
...- Who's American?: "Common ground on who's American"
...- Daylaborer Muster Zones: "Drawing Workers, and Some Critics"
...- Immigration: "Debate over immigration comes to Morristown Council"
...- Immigrants, Boycott: "Boycott for Immigrants' Rights Picks Up Support on LI"
...- Immigrants, Boycott: "Immigrant workers divided; Some back it, others don't"
...- Immigrants, Mexican: "Way North of the Border"
- Inspections: "New Brunswick inspectors make semi-annual clean sweep"
- Police Overtime: Letter: "Fanwood police's overtime draining vital money"
- Policing: "Paterson shows effective policing counts on data"
...- "33 are arrested in police 'Stop and Challenge' sweeps"
- Public Safety: "First responders in Oregon using Web-based technology to respond"
- Recall Elections: "Bedminster recall election certified"
...- "Resignation would avert recall election"
...- Editorial, CN: "Now it's Joerger's call on recall"
...- CN: "Joerger resigns, recall averted"
...- SL: "Bedminster official quits amid conflict"
- School Cellphone Bans: "Cellphone Ban Is Enforced, and Parents Howl, Too"
- School Sites: "Safety didn't come first in hunt for N.J. school sites"
...- "Officials to probe accelerated reviews of school sites"
- Surveillance cams: "Trenton police cameras to watch 'hot spots'"
- Tax Revaluation: "$11.6 million tax assessment is upheld"


ET CETERA

Fire: "Blaze forces family from Richmond Street home" -- plus a narrated photo essay
Plainfield Native and Husband Gift Centenary: "Watchung couple gives $8M to school"
Plainfield Today: "Can this radio save your life?"
Profile: "Michael Riecken: Young scholar makes his exodus into Egypt"
Remembrance: "Phyllis Mason's months' minds"
'Urban Help Connection': "Plainfield woman forms aid group"
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