TOWN WATCH
NEWARK – A walk-through viewing for the doubly retired Newark Police officer and West Side High School Principal Fernard M. Williams, Sr. was set here at Whigham Funeral Home March 23.
Williams, 76, whose devotion to community service took three forms, had died March 15 in Piscataway. The former Orange and East Orange resident’s cause of death was “complications from an unspecified illness.”
Born May 1, 1945, Williams was a WSHS Class of 1963 graduate who returned to his alma mater as a substance abuse awareness counselor. He was a Weequahic High School vice principal when Newark Public Schools State District Superintendent Beverly Hall appointed him WSHS Principal in 1997.
Williams, before his late 2000s retirement, renovated the 1925 building, improved attendance and test scores and revamped the school’s curriculum.
Williams, who enlisted into the U.S. Marines during the Vietnam era, returned to Newark to join the police department. His patrolman beat included Hill Manor and would first retire as sergeant.
Wives Shirley A. and Cheryl Williams, brother Samuel Gordon Williams, sons DuJuan D. Williams and Kyle Dargan, daughters Taryn Williams Walker, Latonya R. Joyner and Nikeysha S. Neal, eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren Jada N. Williams are among his survivors
Son Fernard M. “Jay” Williams, Jr., 54, a retired ECPO detective, died Sept. 21, 2017.
IRVINGTON – The Essex County Prosecutor’s Office Homicide/Major Crimes Task Force detectives are investigating a March 16 quadruple shooting near the Newark border that left three men injured and a fourth dead.
IPD officers, responding to gunfire reports at 18th and Isabella avenues, found four men shot in the area of 862 18th Ave at 10:47 p.m. All four, said Acting Essex County Prosecutor Theodore “Ted” Stephens II and Irvington Public Safety Director Tracy Bowers, were immediately taken to Newark’s University Hospital.
ECPO’s homicide unit was called in when one of the quartet – Fuquan Davis, 44, of Irvington – had died. Davis’ funeral arrangements have not been publicized as of press time.
The other three victims had suffered non-life-threatening injuries and are expected to recover.
The 18th Avenue fatal shooting was one of three unrelated ones here, in East Orange and Orange that day. (See related stories below.)
EAST ORANGE – County and city law enforcers are searching for the person or persons who fatally shot a man on a Doddtown street here after Midnight March 16.
Stephens and East Orange Police Chief Phyllis Bindi said that East Orange Police officers had responded to gunfire reports from Hilton Street early that Wednesday. They found “a severely injured male victim of gunshot wounds” along that street’s 50s block.
The male was rushed to a local hospital – where he died. Authorities have not released the deceased’s identity or further details as of press time.
This shooting appears to be unrelated to two others – a second in Irvington and a third in Orange – that happened March 16. (See above and below stories.)
ORANGE – City residents may still be talking about the fatal March 16 shooting here at a major South Ward intersection while law enforcers search for the victim’s killers.
Stephens and Orange Public Safety Director Todd Warren said that Orange Police officers had responded to gunshot reports from Tremont Avenue and Scotland Road at 5:18 p.m. that Wednesday.
OPD officers found a man in the area “suffering multiple bullet wounds,” including one to his head. The man – later identified as Anton Douglas, 24, of Orange – was rushed to University Hospital but died at 5:35 p.m.
The area was promptly taped off and ECPO homicide detectives called in. Buses on NJTransit’s No. 92 and CoachUSA’s No. 24routes were detoured. The scene was visible to riders on NJTransit’s Morris & Essex Line trains.
Witnesses said that “masked shooters” had fled west on Tremont. One neighbor, at March 19″s “Save the Orange Public Library” rally, said the suspects and OPD officers had run through several backyards.
Douglas’ funeral arrangements were not announced as of press time. His shooting, plus Fuquan Davis’ shooting in Irvington and a fatal shooting in East Orange are unrelated except that all happened on March 16. (See above related stories.)
WEST ORANGE – Outgoing West Orange Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Scott Cascone has passed on his office keys to interim superintendent Dr. C. Lauren Schoen on March 1.
The WOPS Board of Education has hired the 30-year education administrator while it looks for a more permanent successor. It is not clear whether Dr. Schoen will be considered as a candidate.
Dr. Schoen was most recently superintendent for the Mahwah School District. She had been superintendent or interim super at the Ramapo-Indian Hills Regional High School District, and the Rochelle Park and Fort Lee districts. She has been a past president of the Bergen County Association of School Administrators.
Schoen was awarded the 2015 New Jersey Association of School Administrators Northern Regional Superintendent of the Year. She was hailed in part for enacting the Effective Schools Solution program at Mahwah.
Schoen was a West Point Academy graduate who attained an education and political science degrees from then-William Paterson College. She earned her master’s degree in administration and supervision from St. Peter’s University.
SOUTH ORANGE / MAPLEWOOD – “If it’s not one thing, it’s another,” may sum up the recent state of Morris & Essex Line riders here March 19.
NJTransit repaired enough from the downed trees, overhead power wires and a support truss taken down during March 8 and 12 storms to resume full regular service at the start of March 19’s morning rush hour.
“Local Talk” took two Friday morning post-rush hour trains between Maplewood and Newark Broad Street to survey the repairs.
The tree that fell March 12 across all three M&E tracks south or west of South Orange’s Mountain Station had been cleared and its stump remained on the railroad right of way and a backyard border.
NJTransit had removed the truss that supported the overhead wires just south or west of Jefferson Avenue and Dunnell Road along with the tree that had damaged it during the March 8 storm. The tree stump appears to be on private property.
“Local Talk” found, however, that westbound trains were using the center track between rush hours between Newark Board Street and Summit that Friday. Several work vehicles were on the regular outbound track headed to their assignments.
M&E riders, along with those on the Montclair-Boonton Line and those using Newark Penn Station, found themselves taking cross-honored rides on PATH Friday from midday to 10:30 p.m. “Amtrak signal issues” near Secaucus prevented direct New York Penn Station access until they were rectified.
BLOOMFIELD – Township police officers are on the lookout for “three white males in their twenties,” who shoplifted or tried to shoplift more than $3,000 worth of merchandise on March 7.
Responding BPD officers met with the hardware store’s loss prevention officer that Monday who told of a man who just took away a flatbed cartload of goods. The items included bleach, laundry detergent and rolls of paper towels.
The suspect in the before and after pictures that Monday is of a “Hispanic male around 35-40-years-old wearing a black baseball cap, a gray shirt and gray sweatpants” plus gray Crocs shoes.
But there was one or two other “shopliftings in progress” while officers were taking the LPO’s account.
An employee told them that two other men had just tried to leave with $3,065.98 worth of power tools without paying. The duo, when stopped by the employee, dropped the tools and fled the Watsessing big box store.
BPD, while taking Home Depot employees’ account of cartload shoplifting, nab two others trying to take $3G worth of goods.
MONTCLAIR – The Montclair Public Library’s interim director, who weighed in on its discretional funding request to the Township Council March 15, is no stranger to the dual branch system.
Janet Torsney, who was appointed by the MPL Board of Trustees Feb. 22, was its assistant director 2017-18. Torsney upgraded the Bellevue Branch’s services and programs, secured grants for the Summer of Shakespeare and the Great American Read and managed the Montclair Literary Festival.
Torsney, who was a township resident to raise her two daughters 1992-2010, had also worked with MPL’s last director, Peter Coyl, at the start of his five years at the helm. Coyl, who was appointed March 1, 2017, left to head the Sacramento Public Library system Dec. 10.
The 24-year library administrator and Asbury Park resident was last interim director of the Caldwell Public Library and previously the director at the Bradley Beach, Brielle and Keyport libraries. The MPL trustees are meanwhile pursuing a search for Coyl’s ultimate successor.
Torsney, who had asked for $500,000 above the state-formulated township minimum of $2,887,767 March 10, is to receive an overall $3,367,267 in Mayor Sean Spillar’s March 15 introduced Calendar Year 2022 Municipal Budget.
Spillar, pending Township Council approval, will be drawing $500,000 from the temporary 2022 budget’s discretionary fund plus $15,000 from the interim budget’s special events line item.
The library trustees, as represented by President JoAnn McCullough, had first asked for $561,581 above the state minimum last month.
GLEN RIDGE – A memorial service for Phyllis J. Dominic was held in the Glen Ridge Congregational Church, a place where she was most familiar, March 19.
Dominic, 88, who died in Cary, N.C. Feb. 25, was GRCC’s featured choir soprano soloist, Sunday worship collection accountant and materials provider for Advent candle table wreaths and the wreath workshops. She and her late husband Joseph A. Dominic, Jr. ran the concession kitchen during the annual rummage sales.
The Dominics were longtime church members while they raised son Jeff and daughters Jody Giodano and Caroline Scholte-Dominic in West Orange. Phyllis was the West Orange Public Schools’ executive secretary and a Washington Street Elementary School PTA member. The Mountain High School/New West Orange High School Music Booster designed the inaugural marching band and color guard’s uniforms.
The former Phyllis Jeffreys was born Dec. 27, 1933 in Washington, Pa. before the family moved to Montclair. The Montclair High School Class of 1952 graduate married Joseph and briefly moved to Cedar Grove before settling in West Orange.
Phyllis and Joseph retired to the Poconos in 1995. Joseph predeceased her. Brother Tom Jeffreys, sister Jeanne Dominic, 10 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren are also among her survivors.
Memorial donations may be made to GRCC, 195 Ridgewood Ave., 07028.
BELLEVILLE – Attorney Gregory J. Skiff could have announced, “I interrupt this Township Council meeting to serve papers,” during his part of the March 8 public hearing of citizens.
Skiff, of his same-name Whippany law firm, told Mayor Michael Melham. the council, the gallery audience and cable television viewers that he was there on behalf of township business owner Keith McKeon.
Skiff, on McKeon’s behalf, then read his client’s cease and desist order against Michael Sheldon into the public record. He then handed the legal papers to Sheldon in the gallery.
Sheldon, a former Belleville Public Schools school board trustee, is one of several volunteer watchdogs who question the township government while videotaping or otherwise recording council meetings.
Skiff told one of the other watchdogs that his client had objected to his characterization made by Sheldon on his Facebook post. Sheldon has since removed that post.
The attorney added that he so served the papers on Sheldon since he regularly attends council meetings and “to ensure (Sheldon) understood the seriousness of the order.”
Cease and desist/restraining orders, subpoenas, warrants and similar documents are normally delivered either by registered mail or personally by legal couriers.
NUTLEY – There are six reasons why a Superior Court-Newark judge released a township man from jail March 18 on the condition that he stay away from Nutley High School and minors.
Substitute teacher Richard Dunn, 58, had been in Newark’s Essex County Correctional Center four days after Nutley police officers had arrested him without incident along Prospect Street March 15. The judge had conditionally released Dunn during his Friday pretrial hearing; he has had no prior arrests.
Nutley police, after a four-day investigation, charged Dunn with four counts of second-degree endangering the welfare of a minor and two counts of lewdness.
Four female NHS students told the Main Office March 10 that Dunn had exposed himself and masturbated behind a desk during that day’s digital music class. Their statements became part of an NPD complaint and an affidavit.
The second lewdness count stemmed from Dunn allegedly doing the same thing while in NHS Feb. 1. Details of that incident, except that a student had recorded him “performing,” are currently unavailable.
Nutley detectives’ investigation was done in cooperation with Nutley Public Schools and ECPO. A school spokesman said that counseling is available.
