Camdenbase

A norotious city drug dealer with a flair for flash took the witness stand Tuesday in U. S. District Court and told how he blew hundreds of thousands of dollars in cocaine profits and gave alleged drug kingpin Jose JR" Rivera hundreds of thousands more to hold. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post"

City Council on Tuesday adopted a spending plan for fiscal year 2000, which ends in five months. But to balance the $112 million budget, approved at a special meeting, the city will need $13.5 million in extraordinary aid" from the state to cover a deficit and defer more that $11 million in expenses. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post"

State Senate President Donald T. DiFrancesco on Tuesday proposed more than doubling the state's financial aid for the battleship USS New Jersey project in Camden to $13.2 million. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

Special commemorative Supplement regarding the voyage of the USS New Jersey (Text and Photos) Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

Six candidates were interviewed over the weekend for the school district's top job, and five more will get a look Wednesday, school board members said Monday. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

Virtua Health and the state's second-largest managed care insurer are at odds over the hospital system's treatment of the HMO's members. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

Playing with his eyes closed and his fingers rolling rapidly over electric piano keyboards, Eric Lewis, 26, formerly of Camden, rocked the state Assembly Monday. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

The enormous scope of the largest drug organization in city history began emerging Monday in the nearly month-old trail of two alleged syndicate leaders. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

Admiral Wilson Boulevard, Camden, "not Los Angeles, had the first auto strip in the United States " Izenour says. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

When I run into people who are concerned about Camden, they often ask me about Mayor Milton Milan's legal problems and the state takeover. Is Milan a crook? Is the state takeover a good thing? What's going to happen next? Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

A program to apply pressure to street-level drug dealers by sweeping" open-air drug markets in the city and arresting suspected drug dealers has temporarily ended as federal funding for the program has been used up. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post"

Letters to the editors in response to the acquisition of the USS New Jersey. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

Where we stand: A $260,000 contribution can help make the Walter Rand Institute regional development proposal a reality this year. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

The demolitions, and about 80 others since February, are part of an initiative funded by a $5 million interest-free state loan to raze up to 400 abandoned houses in the city over the next nine months. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

Nothing against the state funding a planning study, but partnering with Rutgers is a mistake. The state should look elsewhere for leadership in this area given the university's strident opposition to open government. For this plan to work, the people must have access to all information and with Rutgers involved, that's not going to happen. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

A city councilman and an assistant city attorney were forcibly separated in council chambers Tuesday after the attorney brushed off questions from the irate councilman and tried to walk out. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

City Council is scheduled to vote this week on whether to foreclose on the landmark Sears Building on Admiral Wilson Boulevard. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

Rep. Rob Andrews, D-N.J., last week asked the U.S. Army Corps Engineers to rethink its Delaware River dredging project. But, and Andrews knows this by now, asking nicely won't be enough. He and Sen. Robert Torricelli, D-N.J., have been jerked around by the powers behind this $311 million project to deepen the river channel from 40 to 50 feet. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

Fifty years ago, the city's Fairview section symbolized American might and dreams, its streets, named after famous warships, radiating from a thriving central square. Although the neighborhood is still considered one of the city's best, it's at a crossroads. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

Virtua Health is slowly getting out of the hospital business here, but that doesn't mean it is getting out of the city. That's the message Virtua President and CEO Richard Miller has been giving the hospital's staff and city residents since December, when he announced the system's Camden hospital would stop inpatient services, possibly by fall. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

New Jersey officials are considering withholding a vital guarantee for loans to Camden's government because of the city's legal challenge to state supervision of its finances, city officials say. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

Indicted Mayor Milton Milan has pulled his East Camden home off the market, just one day after he put it up for sale. Prosecutors said it would have violated conditions of his bail. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

The city's leading candidate for schools chief[T.Josih Haig] is an attorney from Florida who once ran the 25,000 student system in Hartford, Conn., that state's largest school system. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

The Governor's Office dashed an attempt Wednesday by the New Jersey Battleship Commission to sue the Navy for choosing Camden over Bayonne as the permanent home for the battleship USS New Jersey. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

The Army Corps of Engineers is wasting billions of taxpayer dollars on environmentally destructive projects around the country, including the proposed deepening of the Delaware River and beach replenishment projects along New Jersey's coast, a report says. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

For the past six months, allegations of wrongdoing by Mayor Milton Milan have surfaced weekly, if not daily. The question increasingly being asked in South Jersey is: Why don't federal authorities either charge the mayor with committing a crime or just leave him alone? Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

Desire. Greed. Power. That's what drove two men to become leaders in the city's largest drug syndicate ever, a federal prosecutor said Thursday as he guided jurors through an underworld where betrayal, money laundering and murder were a way of life for a decade, Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

Two South Jersey Democrats introduced a bill in the Assembly Thursday that would abolish the New Jersey Battleship Commission and redirect more than $1 million it raised to the organization over-seeing the ship's restoration in Camden. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

The Camden County Board of Freeholders has included its promised $3.2 million for the battleship New Jersey in its 2000 budget. They said the money will be used for pier work necessary to berth the battleship on the Delaware River in Camden. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

Cooperation paid off for Pierre Robinson, a former bodyguard for Camden Mayor Milton Milan, who was sentenced Friday for a weapons offense linked to a city drug gang. Under a plea agreement, the former Camden police detective received three years probation for selling a banned assault pistol to an alleged drug dealer in June 1996. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

City Council on Thursday put off a decision on the proposed foreclosure of the landmark Sears Building, with members saying they wanted more time to review the controversial case. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

The city counterpunched Thursday against the state's attempt to take nearly full control of Camden's financial operations, charging in court papers that a state review board intended to help city finances has in fact done harm. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

Where we stand: It's time for N.J. rrepresentitive to play hardball and hold up federal funding for this project. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

Sen. Robert Torricelli and Rep. Rob Andrews, both D-N.J., and six Gloucester County officials blasted two government agencies behind a $311 million project to deepen the Delaware River for coming to a long-awaited meeting in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday without having done their homework. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

The federal agency being asked to review the decision to award the USS New Jersey to Camden previously found flaws in the Navy's battleship donation process. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

Lost amid the exhausting frenzy of the federal corruption charges against Mayor Milton Milan is the reality that the 19-count indictment could be just the first few pages in a sad chapter in city history. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

On the eve of groundbreaking for the Ethel Lawrence Homes, the affordable housing project the township approved three years ago, attorney Peter O'Connor found himself back in court, doing battle one more time with the township whose name has become synonymous with opposition to low-income housing. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

Mayor Milton Milan sold his office to the mob for $30,000 in a classic example of organized crime infiltrating government, prosecutors charge. The mob payoffs were part cash and part pleasure, and represented only a portion of the personal gain Milan reaped from his dealings with city vendors and businesses, prosecutors said. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

The 19-count indictment against Mayor Milton Milan encompasses a range of alleged schemes, from illegally tapping campaign funds for a vacation to getting city vendors to do work on his home for free. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

Milan's odyssey spans his childhood in Brooklyn and a tough, fatherless, rearing on the blighted streets of North Camden, his years as a Marine and, according to some allegations, his years as a drug dealer and street thug. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

The Delaware River may be much cleaner than in decades past, when shad refused to swim in its soupy waters, but it remains one of the most toxic rivers in the nation, according to a report released Thursday. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

In his second attempt in a week to boost the image of his administration, embattled Mayor Milton Milan led an effort Thursday to help improve water quality in the Whitman Park section of the city. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

A freshly renovated Park Boulevard row house represents a first step for an ambitious neighborhood organization and a step forward for the Parkside neighborhood. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

A major city drug trafficker testified in federal court Wednesday that he was tipped to a raid on his home by a relative of an investigator for the Camden County Prosecutor's Office. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

Mayor Milton Milan has backed down from a fight with city council over an ordinace that exempts the city's top two law enforcement officials from pay cuts the mayor had sought. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

With mayor Milton Milan facing an uncertain future, power brokers already are vying for the upper hand in the May 2001 race for mayor and the three council seats. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

A school-based outreach program that is credited with reducing Camden's teen birth rate by nearly a third was touted as a model by state officials Friday in announcing they will expand the program. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

A former bodyguard for Mayor Milton Milan being invetigated for his role in unauthorized drug stings is resigning from the city police department. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

The controversy brewing over the possible demolition of the old Sears building on Admiral Wilson Boulevard in Camden deserves the considered attention of the region and the state. Constructed in 1927 as part of the original plan to provide a distinctive gateway to the new bridge connecting New Jersey to Philadelphia, the building is now being sacrificed in the name of restoring the parkway to its original beauty. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

It was good to see Kenny in town, once again at the helm of Camden's Financial Review Board. Having a Cabinet-level official sitting at the table can do much to heal the rift between the state and city and, eventually, get things moving in the right direction. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

When important company comes to visit, most people break out the best china. They clean the house top to bottom. They do their best to impress their guests. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

Why does everything always have to be a quick fix anymore? Case in point--the hurried attempts to make Admiral Wilson Boulevard a tree-laden parkway in about a year's time. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

A decision to end overnight care at Virtua-West Jersey hospital here will likely be copied by health systems across the state, an industry spokesman said Monday. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

After a long fight to bring the USS New Jersey to Camden, Home Port Alliance members must wait at least two months before they can board the battleship at its temporary berth in the former Philadelphia Naval shipyard. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

Feeling pressure from the public, city lawmakers said Thursday they intend to block Mayor Milton Milan from cutting the salaries of the police chief and his deputy. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

Mayor Milton Milan ordered his then police bodyguard to retrieve an illegal assault pistol the officer sold to an alleged witness testified in federal court Monday. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

When Milton Milan became mayor of Camden in 1997, he brought with him hope for the future. He was, many believed, the answer to the problems that plagued the city. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

The Home Port Alliance's plan to use the ship for sleepovers is confined pretty much to groups like the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, in keeping with the ship's mission as an educational facility. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

The Appellate Division of Superior Court on Friday rejected an appeal from Camden to force South Jersey Port Corporation into paying the city about $3 million a year in lieu of property taxes for the last four years. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

E-Zpass arrived in the Delaware Valley without fanfare Saturday, at a time when motorists weren't sure if they were up late or out early. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

Mayor Milton Milan has told the city council that he is not responsible for a $28,000 back-tax bill on a rundown, abandoned property owned by a defunct construction company he helped start. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

An attorney for Mayor Milan said Friday the recent arrest of the mayor's former business partner for evading IRS income-reporting requirements is another attempt by law enforcement officials to bring the mayor down.Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

The navy moved two destroyers Thursday to clear a pier at its former shipyard for the homecoming of the battleship USS New Jersey-- expected to arrive Wednesday following a 5,800-mile trip from Bremerton, Wash. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer, David Rusk and Louis Gambaccini have more than one thing in common. Aside from being keynote sperkers at the summit on the future of South Jersey, the three are advocates of smart growth and development. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

December 18 will be opening day for electronic toll collection on the Delaware River Port Authority's four bridges. Commercial vehicles will pay the higher toll effective that day, but passenger vehicles will continue to pay $2 per round trip-using cash or newly activated electronic devices attached to the windshield - untill Jan. 1. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

The lives and futures of the thousands of South Jersey residents are at the heart of the issues to be addressed at the summit on the Future of South Jersey on Saturday. The summit, sponsored by the Courier-Post, Rutgers-Camden, the Walter Rand Institute for Public Affairs at Rutgers and Garden State Cable, runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the university's campus center building in Camden. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

The city and state are trying to head off a court battle over plans to put Mayor Milton Milan's administration under state supervision. A petition for a court ruling on supervision"--the highest degree of oversight allowed without special legislation--has been delayed because the state and city are in talks. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post"

Camden County Republicans say they are counting on internal squabbling within the Democratic Party--and a decision to build a convention center in Lawnside-- to help break the Demoratic stranglehold on county government. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

Where we stand: a drastic step is needed to correct years of ineptitude running the district. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

The 30-day window for Congress to overturn the navy's decision closed over the weekend, meaning it's now official: The battleship New Jersey is going to Camden. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

A city council resolution asking Mayor Milton Milan to resign after his indictment on federal corruption charges did not materialized at a meeting Tuesday. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

State officials are preparing to strip indicted Mayor Milton Milan of some powers, and his top aids have been summoned to the state capital Friday to discuss the situation. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

Over flashes of anger from about 200 residents, city lawmakers voted Thursday night against urging Mayor Milan to resign after his indictment on federal corruption charges. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

Former city Fire Chief Herbert Leary is under investigation by federal authorities as part of a wide-ranging probe of alleged corruption in the administration of Mayor Milton Milan. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

Former Philadelphia/South Jersey mob boss Ralph Natale once called Mayor Milton Milan a sweetheart"--but "crazy" nonetheless--for even suggesting the two appear together at a Milan election victory party in 1997. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post"

A powerful state board voted overwhelmingly Friday to put the city under state supervision, the highest degree of oversight allowed without special legislation. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

The Camden Riversharks. Is that a name that will strike fear in the hearts of Atlantic League baseball teams and inspire pride in its hometown? Scores of students at Cooper's Poynt Elementary School in North Camden must think so, because Riversharks seemed to be the most popular choice among students who voted Friday and who were willing to discuss their choices. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

Voters in Cherry Hill and Haddonfield will consider whether to increase their taxes for improved educational services, while residents in Winslow and other lower Camden County towns face tax increases in anticipation of establishing new district. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

In the race for the three seats up for grabs on the city's school board, two incumbents appear to be shoo-ins for reelection but the other seems vulnerable. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

Rep. Rob Andrews, D-N.J., says a proposed $311 million Delaware River dredging project looks half-baked." We are glad he noticed. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post"

For more than a decade, a plan by the Army Corps of Engineers and Delaware River Port Authority to deepen the Delaware River has followed a simple premise:Build it and the economics rewards will come. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

A pier over the Delaware collapsed Saturday night, taking several tugboat workers' cars into the river with it. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

Built more than 75 years ago, the Broadway Terminal is part of the former New York Shipyard. The 800-foot, concrete finger pier was built like a crib with sunken pilings forming the perimeter. When the piling gave way, presumably victims of time and tides, a slab about 600 feet long caved in. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

Camden County voters were in a spending mood, and spent they did, as school districts across the county saw budgets win approval Tuesday. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

The following are selected portions of the Department of Education's School Report Cards for area high schools. Average SAT results are from the 1998-1999 school year. The last column represents the rank the school attained out of 23 high schools in the state based on its total average SAT scores. A t" means its score tied with another school or group of schools. Financial data - median faculty salary and per-pupil costs - are based on spending for 1999-2000 school year. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post"

The New Jersey Department of Education released its annual School Report Card for 1999 today. The report for all 2,200 public schools in the state contains data about test scores, finances, class size, languages spoken and other items to help track a district's progress. The median salary and per-pupil costs for each district are for the 1999-2000 school year. All other data is for the 1998-1999 school year. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

Kevin Halpern, who stepped down a year ago as the top executive at financially ailing Cooper Health System, has left the position he was given overseeing the hospital system's fund-raising arm. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

Virtua Health System President and CEO Richard Miller didn't try the good news-bad news approach with the business people gathered Tuesday at the Cherry Hill Economic Development Council's meeting here. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

City lawmakers have made good on their word to safeguard the salaries of the police chief and his deputy. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

In what is expected to be a hard-fought and expensive race for mayor in May 2001, a political novice with only one major ordinance to his credit is looking like the man to beat. First-term Councilman Gilbert "Whip" Wilson, in his run for council three years ago and for a Democratic committee seat last year, showed he could pull in more votes citywide lining up to challenge Mayor Milton Milan. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

With the announcement that the Navy let common sense and logic prevail in the USS New Jersey's permanent berth selection, and the marvelous work done by the Home Port Alliance in presenting our case to the Navy, the Delaware Valley now must look at what should and can be done with this new treasure. We need to make a world-class showplace that does justice to the ship, its heritage and its record. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

In my heart, I feel the Battleship USS New Jersey is closer than ever to coming home. In my mind, I know the Delaware River is the logical choice to retire the honored warship. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

The state on Wednesday released the annual Comparative Spending Guide, which shows how efficiency school districts spend taxpayer money. A low ranking on the chart below reflects a low level of spending on adiministrative costs compared to the other similar-sized districts. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

A high-ranking school administrator has been told she can no longer evaluate principals in the city's public school system. The state Department of education determined Marion Profitt, an assistant superintendent who makes $108,483 a year, is not qualified for that specific duty, which she has handled for at least the past couples years. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

Last week the Delaware River Port Authority agreed to give Cooper's Ferry $6.2 million for brick sidewalks, lighting, landscaping, banners and street furniture in a sprawling area that extends from Mickle Boulevard to the bridge and from Intersate 676 to the waterfront. Called the Interior Gateway, the area represents about 13 percent of the 8.8-square-mile city. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

South Jersey native Michael Giacchino has written a symphony, a tribute to Camden's rebirth, that will be premiered during May's 'Millennium Concert of Hope.' Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

More than 500 mourners climbed the stairs to the sanctuary of First Nazarene Baptist Church to bid farewell to Jerrothia Riggs, better known as Mom" to everyone whose life she touched. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post"

The District commander for the Army Corps of Engineers says it's time for Gloucester County officials to change their tune about the big Delaware River dredging project. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post