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Ex-Con Charged In Gunpoint Essex Drugstore Robbery Spree Ex-Con Charged In Gunpoint Essex Drugstore Robbery Spree
Ex-Con Charged In Gunpoint Essex Drugstore Robbery Spree Key pieces of evidence led to federal charges against an ex-con for robbing pharmacies in Belleville, East Orange and West Orange at gunpoint, authorities said Wednesday. Police recovered a gun in his girlfriend’s car that Malik Conley, 27, of Newark, used in the second holdup last December in Belleville, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito said. Conley and an accomplice struck again a month later, this time in East Orange, Carpenito said, adding that keys to the vehicle used in that robbery were found in his pocket. Conley apparently acted alone in the Dec. 3 robbery in Belleville, an indictmen…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Schools
COVID-19: Another Essex County School Closes After Staff, Students Test Positive COVID-19: Another Essex County School Closes After Staff, Students Test Positive
Covid-19: Another Essex County School Closes After Staff, Students Test Positive Another Essex County school reported COVID-19 cases this week. The three individuals were staff members and students of the Washington Elementary School in West Orange, Superintendent J. Scott Cascone said Thursday, Oct. 8. The school will be closed until Oct. 21, he said. Three students at West Essex Regional High School also tested positive this week. "We were looking forward to welcoming back our preschool students in Ms. Kenny and Ms. Sinisi’s classes at Washington Elementary School on Monday, October 12," he said in a letter.  "However, due to the current circumstances…

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by Cecilia Levine
News
BUSTED! Feds Charge NJ Postal Carrier With Dumping Election Ballots BUSTED! Feds Charge NJ Postal Carrier With Dumping Election Ballots
Busted! Feds Charge NJ Postal Carrier With Dumping Election Ballots Federal authorities on Wednesday arrested a postal carrier from Kearny who they said dumped 1,875 pieces of mail -- including general election ballots and campaign flyers – instead of delivering them. Nicholas Beauchene, 26, was nabbed by special agents of the U.S. Postal Service’s Office of Inspector General after a Saddle Brook man reported finding dumped bundles of mail in a dumpster behind a North Arlington bank. Beauchene tossed 1,875 pieces of mail – including 99 general election ballots destined for residents in West Orange and 276 campaign flyers from local candidates for West Orang…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
'Go Jump In A Lake': Authorities Verify Bergen Man's Report Of Dumped Mail-In Ballots 'Go Jump In A Lake': Authorities Verify Bergen Man's Report Of Dumped Mail-In Ballots
'Go Jump In A Lake': Authorities Verify Bergen Man's Report Of Dumped Mail-In Ballots A man who reported finding election ballots among mail dumped behind a Bergen County bank told skeptics, critics and other doubters to "go jump in a lake" after the U.S. Postal Service said it has since delivered the bundles and is investigating. “Just found two to 300 lb of mail dumped in a dumpster behind one of the banks I service. Including at least 200 ballots,” Howard Dinger of Saddle Brook wrote in a Facebook post. “This is the kind of stuff you just can’t make up. And yes it was reported to the local police and the postal police.” ****** UPDATE: Federal authorities on Wednesday arr…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Business
Food Writer 'Obsessed' With New Jersey Hot Dogs Runs Down Best In State Food Writer 'Obsessed' With New Jersey Hot Dogs Runs Down Best In State
Food Writer 'Obsessed' With New Jersey Hot Dogs Runs Down Best In State One is a lesser-known spot a busy highway. Another is highly-acclaimed by the late Anthony Bourdain. All of the hot dog spots Robert Simonson included in his article "Why I’m Obsessed With New Jersey Hot Dogs" have one thing in common: They're each uniquely delicious. Simonson makes the case that New Jersey's dogs are just better than anywhere else. Even the dogs in New York are comparable to the ones he ate growing up in the Midwest, he said. These spots are the ones to try in New Jersey, according to Simonson's report: Hot Dog Johnny's (Belvidere) Jimmy Buff's (West Orange, Kenilworth…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Authorities: Man Rapes Woman In Parsippany Motel After Months Of Abuse, Forced Prostitution Authorities: Man Rapes Woman In Parsippany Motel After Months Of Abuse, Forced Prostitution
Authorities: Man Rapes Woman In Parsippany Motel After Months Of Abuse, Forced Prostitution An Essex County man raped a woman and threatened to hurt her family in a Morris County motel this weekend after months of abuse and forced prostitution, authorities said. Mcquacy Goodridge, 28, of West Orange, verbally and physically abused a 31-year-old woman while taking her all across Morris County and forcing her into acts of prostitution between March 2019 and Aug. 15, Morris County Prosecutor Fredric M. Knapp said in a joint release with local police. Police responded to the Ramada on Route 46 for a person being held in a room around 6:30 p.m. Saturday, just after Goodridge threa…

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by Cecilia Levine
Business
North Jersey Family Opens 3rd Taco Shop -- This One In Union County North Jersey Family Opens 3rd Taco Shop -- This One In Union County
North Jersey Family Opens 3rd Taco Shop -- This One In Union County A taco shop owned by a North Jersey family is taking the area by storm. Folklore Artisanal Taco opened this week on North Avenue West in Cranford, in a space formerly occupied by Little Buffalo. Owner Owner Sergio Capdevielle's family operated several restaurants in Mexico in the 1970s.  Folklore's flagship store opened in West Orange and then last year, a second came to Chatham. Thank you Cranford for making this opening day amazing!! Mucho love and muchos Tacos!! ❤️🌮 Posted by Folklore Artisanal Taco on Thursday, July 30, 2020 Orders come with four tacos, which range in price betwe…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
UPDATE: Pair Charged In Fatal Bridgewater Birthday Party Shooting UPDATE: Pair Charged In Fatal Bridgewater Birthday Party Shooting
Update: Pair Charged In Fatal Bridgewater Birthday Party Shooting A Linden man fired multiple rounds into a vehicle, killing the driver outside of a Somerset County birthday party over the weekend, said authorities who charged him and one other man Monday. Sometime Saturday night, Roobino Philemon, 30, of West Orange and a friend showed up to a birthday party being held at a Bayberry Road in Bridgewater, Somerset County Prosecutor Michael H. Robertson said in a joint statement. The homeowner from the front door told Philemon and the other man to leave as they were not welcome, Robertson said. Philemon and the man went to their car and stopped at Foot…

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by Cecilia Levine
Lifestyle
Most Popular Ice Cream Shops In Essex County Most Popular Ice Cream Shops In Essex County
Most Popular Ice Cream Shops In Essex County Craving a sweet treat to cool you down on a hot summer day? Here are several ice cream shops you can try today in Essex County. The spots you see on this list were top-rated on several user-generated review sites, featured in local publications and recommended by Daily Voice readers. Scroll down for the complete list. Absolute Zero Ice Cream, Montclair: The one-of-a-kind creamery earned a 4.7/5-star Google rating and is known for serving decadent ice cream rolls, which come in various flavors and can be topped with fruits, cereals, cookies and other tasty treats. 410 Bloomfield Avenue…

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by Valerie Musson
News
Essex County Town To Remove Christopher Columbus Statue Essex County Town To Remove Christopher Columbus Statue
Essex County Town To Remove Christopher Columbus Statue A Christopher Columbus statue that has long remained in West Orange will soon come down. Mayor Robert Parisi said in a Facebook video the monument at intersection of Valley Road and Kingsley Street will be replaced by a "more appropriate message," but did not provide a timeline. "The legend of Columbus does not match the history and today, the man, statues or monuments celebrating his life are a divisive and a symbol of hate and oppression and cannot remain as part of our community," Parisi said. Two Change.org petitions to keep the monument have been launched: One argues for the statue's …

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Family Displaced, Dog Hospitalized In Montclair House Fire Family Displaced, Dog Hospitalized In Montclair House Fire
Family Displaced, Dog Hospitalized In Montclair House Fire A family was displaced and a dog hospitalized in a Montclair fire, officials said. Heavy smoke and flames shot out of front and side windows on the second floor of a Central Avenue home when firefighters arrived at 10:50 Friday morning, township officials said. Occupants had self-evacuated before firefighters arrived and extinguished the blaze. The house suffered heavy fire and smoke damage on the second floor, and water damage on the first, officials said. The Red Cross responded to assist the family, and a dog was taken to a local animal hospital for treatment, reports say. Units f…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Mom, 6-Year-Old Daughter Shot Dead In West Orange Apartment Mom, 6-Year-Old Daughter Shot Dead In West Orange Apartment
Mom, 6-Year-Old Daughter Shot Dead In West Orange Apartment A mother and her 6-year-old daughter were found dead by a family member in their West Orange apartment, authorities said. Both Sushmiba Bardhan, 36, and her daughter were killed Sunday, in their Susan Court apartment, Acting Essex County Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens, II, and West Orange Police Chief James P. Abbott said Tuesday. They were pronounced dead at the scene, said authorities who were not releasing further information. The investigation is active and ongoing. The preliminary investigation indicates there is no danger to the community. 

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by Cecilia Levine