Two more New Brunswick employees charged in theft of parking fees

From Friday's Star-Ledger:

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NEW BRUNSWICK — Two more people have been charged in connection with the theft of thousands of dollars from the New Brunswick Parking Authority, bringing to six the number of agency employees now facing charges.

Lawrence Sorbino, 44, of South Brunswick, a security and property manager for the city-run parking agency, was charged with accepting more than $5,000 in bribes to ignore thefts by agency officers, and Anthony Williams, 32, of Woodbridge, was charged with theft, conspiracy and destroying records, Middlesex County Prosecutor Bruce Kaplan said.

Four parking authority security officers were arrested in June, charged with taking money motorists paid at the Ferren and Lower Church Street parking decks, Kaplan said in a joint statement with New Brunswick Police Director Peter Mangarella.

Sorbino, of the Kendall Park section of South Brunswick, is charged with two counts of official misconduct and single counts of bribery, receiving gifts as a public servant, theft by failing to make required disposition of property, and conspiracy to commit theft, the prosecutor said.

Authorities allege Sorbino was paid more than $5,000 between Aug. 15, 2009 and May 15 this year to ignore thefts committed by four parking authority security officers.

Sorbino surrendered to police July 23, and was released on $100,000 bail, Kaplan said. Sorbino’s lawyer, Robert Gluck, did not return calls for comment today.

Williams, who was arrested earlier this month while at work, is accused of telling security officers how and when to disable security equipment before stealing parking payments. Also, he allegedly stole more than $500 in payments that were put in a drop safe on May 16, the prosecutor said.

Williams is being held today in the Middlesex County jail on $100,000 bail.

In June, Kaplan announced the arrests of four parking authority security officers accused of swiping nearly $3,000 from automated payment machines and customers during their 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. shifts at the Ferren and Lower Church street parking decks. The alleged thefts occurred between May 13 and May 15.James O’Neill, a spokesman for the prosecutor’s office, said the investigation is continuing and he could not give details. He declined to comment when asked if any thefts occurred before May 13.

The parking authority came under investigation after information developed by the State Commission of Investigation was handed over to local authorities by the commission’s executive director, Alan Rockoff.

Weiner Rails Against Republicans for Blocking Treatment for Ground Zero Workers and Residents

This is really no surprise if you think about it, but House Republicans on Thursday blocked plan, sponsored by a New York Democrat, that would have provided billions of dollars for medical treatment to rescue workers and residents of New York City who suffered illnesses from the toxic dust and debris at ground zero.

According to The New York Times:

Until now, the federal government has been appropriating money on an annual basis to monitor the health of people injured at ground zero and to provide them with medical treatment. But the bill’s supporters said there were problems with the year-to-year approach, including that money for the program was subject to the political whims of Congress and the White House.

The bill would have provided $3.2 billion over the next eight years to monitor and treat injuries stemming from exposure to toxic dust and debris at ground zero. New York City would have paid 10 percent of those health costs.

Rep. Anthony Weiner was not happy about it, and for good reason. The right is wrong:

Subbing For the President

With news that President Obama is coming to our very own Middlesex County here in New Jersey today, to promote a bill expanding loan programs and tax breaks for small businesses, it's not really shocking that people aren't focusing on the meat, but rather on the fixin's.

The president will make a stop at Tastee Sub Shop, an Edison mainstay in a heavily Democratic district (though more of the Hillary persuasion, probably—not that their policies differ, but due to a considerable dose of ingrained racism) populated by white working-class residents, and the largest population of South Asian immigrants in the United States. In fact, Mr. Obama's visit here is certainly an acknowledgement that, while Tastee is not Indian-owned, Indian businesses, families, and entrepreneurs have long contributed to economic revitalization as it has changed the cultural fabric in New Jersey.

And, of course, it's always a circus when the president—any president—comes to town. I've been near a handful of presidential visits in the past, and even covered one as a reporter, and, outside of the few minutes when the president is speaking, it's the residual stuff that gets people talking, that is, traffic (Tastee is near one of the worst four-way intersections on the planet), and if there's food, what's he eating?

Obama's a healthy guy, save a cigarette here and there, and if he orders tuna on wheat, he'll get criticized, but if he orders taylor ham, he'll be insincere. So what's he to do? We all know turkey is embedded in American symbolism -- hell, even Ben Franklin wanted it to be the national bird (it should have been just like Ray Charles's version of America the Beautiful should be the national anthem), so maybe the president gets a whole #7 with oven roasted turkey, with mustard, mayo, HOT peppers (regular peppers will be characterized as weenie), lettuce, but definitely no tomato, S&P, and vinegar. That's AMERICAN.

But it sounds pretty frackin' nasty.

How about a whole #2? Boiled Ham, Cappacola, and Cheese on italian bread? We like to boil things. It's the second oldest way to cook things (I'm just guessing) and it pleases a wide swath of cultures. But wait? Is it too exotic? Does the president say "Cappacola" as I, a Jersey Jew, would say "Coca Cola" or does he feign Jersey-style Italian lexicon and say "gabba-ghoul?" Nah, WAY too dicey.

OK -- I got it -- a standard: the #8: bologna and cheese. Classic, processed, and AMERICAN. That said, bologna and cheese is really only suitable on Wonder Bread, and while I don't think the president would ever get any flack for eating such a delectable lunch, he's at a sub shop, and you gotta order on sub bread. It's the rule, and bologna and cheese does not work on a submarine. It's the second rule.

Ham and cheese? Offensive. Sausage and meatball? Pandering. Pepperoni and cheese? Not a sandwich. Proccuttini, Cappacola, and Cheese? See reasons for not eating a #2. Roast Beef? It's good, but you can get it anywhere. All cheese sub? Do you want to lose in 2012? #5 -- a Super Sub, which is a 1, 2, 3 combo? Excessive. Might get messy.

While he's eating, I'll be listening for how New Jersey hopes to get out of its economic doldrums, with the state, one of the first to enter the Great Recession, is forecast to be among the last to get out of it. I'll also be listening for the administration's small business jobs proposals, including providing small banks with the capital and incentives to lend to small businesses for new equipment and expansion, loan guarantee programs and other initiatives that facilitate a small businesses' capacity to borrow from private lenders, creating tax incentives for small business looking to purchase new equipment or looking to expand, eliminating capital gains taxes for small business investors, and building on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (the federal stimulus) that made available money for small business loans as well as reducing the fees those businesses pay for those loans.

UPDATE: Video from the president's appearance:

Excerpt of President Barack Obamas speech in Edison

As for what the president eats, I hope he was true to himself and ordered tuna on wheat. I like my leaders to be healthy, drive fuel-efficient vehicles, and to emphasize the "opportunity" in "photo-op."

Photo: this pool hall is right around the corner from where the president will visit today in Edison. Maybe he'll pick up a game or two.

Holocaust Exhibit at NB Free Public Library Closing With Reception

This just in from the NB Free Public Library -- BΩS

The New Brunswick Free Public Library’s current exhibition from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, “Fighting the Fires of Hate: America and the Nazi Book Burnings,” will close on August 10 after a closing reception on August 5.

The exhibition’s closing reception will be held on Thursday, August 5 at 7 PM in the library’s Carl T. Valenti Community Room. The reception will feature a lecture on the organized resistance in New Jersey to the Nazi regime, presented by Ron Becker, Head of Special Collections and University Archives at Rutgers University Libraries.

Since its opening on June 14, the exhibition has attracted more than 200 visitors from the United States and Canada, in addition to the well-attended opening reception with special guests Dr. Steven Luckert, Director of the Permanent Exhibition at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, and Dr. Douglas Greenberg, Executive Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences at Rutgers University.

For more information about the exhibition or accompanying programs, please contact librarian Laura Szalaj at 732-745-5108, ext. 20 or via email to lszalaj@lmxac.org. The New Brunswick Free Public Library is located at 60 Livingston Avenue.

About the “Fighting the Fires of Hate” Exhibition

On May 10, 1933, upwards of 25,000 volumes of “un-German” books were burned in consciously staged book burnings across Germany, presaging an era of state censorship and control of culture. This exhibition examines the American reaction to the Nazi book burnings as well as the events’ evolution in film, literature and political discourse.

The exhibition is open to visitors on weekdays from 10 AM to 3 PM and Saturdays from 10 AM to 5 PM, or by appointment. The library is hosting this exhibition with generous support from New Brunswick’s Anshe Emeth Memorial Temple, Magyar Bank and the Kiwanis Club of New Brunswick.

About the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

The Holocaust was the state-sponsored, systematic persecution and annihilation of European Jewry by Nazi Germany and its collaborators between 1933 and 1945. Jews were the primary victims — six million were murdered; Gypsies, the mentally and physically handicapped and Poles were also targeted for destruction or decimation for racial, ethnic, or national reasons. Millions more, including homosexuals, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Soviet prisoners of war and political dissidents, also suffered grievous oppression and death under Nazi tyranny.

A living memorial to the Holocaust, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum inspires citizens and leaders worldwide to promote human dignity, confront hatred and prevent genocide. Federal support guarantees the Museum’s permanent place on the National Mall, and its far-reaching educational programs and global impact are made possible by the generosity of donors nationwide.

For more information about the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, please call 202-488-0400 or visit the museum’s website at www.ushmm.org.

NB Library Receives 2010 Book Award Collection

Great news from the New Brunswick Free Public Library and the New Jersey Council for the Humanities:


The New Jersey Council for the Humanities has selected the New
Brunswick Free Public Library as one of five institutions to receive the
2010 Book Award Collection. The collection includes 33 titles nominated
by 22 publishing houses from across the county, demonstrating the
extraordinary breadth of the humanities and the insights of many gifted
authors. The collection includes this year’s Book Award Winner, The
Anti-Communist Manifesto: Four Books That Shaped the Cold War by John V. Fleming.

The books which will be presented in November cover a wide range of the
humanities including biographies of Yogi Berra, Governor Richard Hughes,
and Clark Clifford as well as histories of New Jersey during the
American Revolution. Other books range from a collection of Steinmetz
photos to Jewish architecture to New Jersey via its maps to Marc
Mappen's There's More to New Jersey than the Sopranos.

For more information, please contact E. Kim Adams, Archival Librarian,
at 732-745-5108, x20 or ekad1947@lmxac.org.

About the New Jersey Council for the Humanities

The New Jersey Council for the Humanities, a nonprofit organization, was
established in 1972 as the state partner of the National Endowment for
the Humanities. Its mission is to develop, support and promote projects
that explore and interpret the human experience, foster cross-cultural
understanding and engage people in dialogue about matters of individual
choice and public responsibility. It is funded primarily by the National
Endowment for the Humanities, with additional support from private
funders and, in some years, the State of New Jersey.