Camdenbase

Camden Mayor Milton Milan's former secretary testified in federal court Thursday that reputed mob associate Daniel Daidone was a frequent caller and visitor to the mayor's office in late 1997 and early 1998. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

Former city spokesman Keith Walker, whom Mayor Milton Milan fired last year, is expected to announce his candidacy for mayor on Tuesday. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

Chicon Cruz, a 23 year-old single mother who has lived in an apartment in East Camden for the past two years, is moving to the suburbs -- thanks to a 30-year-old legal battle and the determination of a lawyer to turn the Mount Laurel court decisions into bricks and mortar. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

The city's state-appointed business administrator, Norton N. Bonaparte Jr., bypassed city rules last week when he decided to take his city-owned 1996 Mercury Grand Marquis to the shop for a paint job. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

Natasha Groan of Palmyra searched persistently for a home with more space and a better school system for her 7 - year - old daughter, Amber. But she couldn't find a place with rent she could afford. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

City residents who are delinquent on their water bills received a break Tuesday, when Mayor Gwendolyn Faison postponed selling liens on their homes in order to clarify issues surrounding the water company's billing procedures. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

Federal agents were watching on Jan. 8 1998 when Camden Mayor Milton Milan boarded an airplane for West Palm Beach, Fla., with mob associate Daniel Daidone. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

A former construction executive whose company did business with the city of Camden admitted Monday in federal court in Newark to giving gifts to elected officials around the state in order to gain contracts. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

City Council on Tuesday adopted a $116.5 million budget that relies on $13.5 million in extraordinary state aid to plug the deficit and allocates money to fund raises for department directors, council members and the mayor. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

Former Mayor Milton Milan, in prison awaiting sentencing on 14 federal corruption charges, won two rounds in court Thursday: He got a new attorney - and the government will pick up the tab. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

The school district is paying for Superintendent Annette Knox's transportation needs during her 3 1/2-year contract and providing her with a driver for the first 60 days of her tenure, according to a copy of the document, released Thursday. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

Rep. Rob Andrews has thrown down the gauntlet again, vowing to renew his battle to block the proposed deepening of the Delaware River shipping channel. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

The city of Camden slowly is being torn apart by many social ills. But through all the pain and heartache, we wipe our eyes and continue our unwavering commitment to bring this special place we call home back to the respectability it so richly deserves. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

A federal judge told jurors considering corruption charges against Mayor Milton Milan on Tuesday that they must start working longer hours after failing to reach a verdict for a fifth day. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

Crews began demolishing the General Gas Mantle building Tuesday, launching a $34 million project to rid South Camden and Gloucester City of radiation contamination left by two factories. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

Jurors reached a unanimous verdict on 16 of 19 federal corruption charges against Mayor Milton Milan on Wednesday, but were sent home when they could not agree on the remaining charges. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

The demolition of a former factory contaminated with radiation ended on a sour note Wednesday, with part of the structure crashing into an adjacent building occupied by a soap company. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

Nearly 100 city workers and residents turned out Wednesday night for a hearing on the state-commissioned fiscal recovery plan for Camden, which many assailed as unrealistic and shortsighted. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

Newly appointed Mayor Gwendolyn Faison spent Tuesday, her first day in City Hall, restructuring her administration to remove former Mayor Milton's remaining allies. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

The Rev. Ismael Hilerio resigned from city council on Wednesday, just five days after he was appointed to fill the vacancy created when Gwendolyn Faison became mayor. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

Mayor Gwendolyn Faison said Wednesday that she will work over the next five months to bring resources into this poverty-stricken city, which she envisions as becoming a mecca for education, health care and small business. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

Geraldine Williams had no place to go after recent surgery to remove a noncancerous tumor left her recuperating and on leave from her job as a telemarketer. Before Christmas, as temperatures dropped into single digits, the 49-year-old woman found shelter at the 69-bed Anna M. Sample House in Camden, run by the Volunteers of America. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

Camden's new mayor has scrapped the biggest and flashiest symbol of her now imprisoned predecessor. Mayor Gwendolyn Faison said Thursday she has no plans to use the "Mayormobile," a black GMC Yukon sport utility vehicle leased by the city for former Mayor Milton Milan. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

It's just after 5:30 p.m. on a recent Tuesday night, but the hallways of LEAP Academy are still bussing with activity. Upstairs in the library, a parenting class is under way. In an adjacent room, children get homework help. A law clinic answers legal questions. Another parents' class is going on in the basement. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

City Council is accepting resumes from residents interested in joining the governing body of South Jersey's largest city. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

City Council members, state officials and a team of consultants held a closed-door meeting Monday to discuss a much-anticipated fiscal recovery plan for the city. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

Former city spokesman Keith Walker announced his candidacy for mayor Tuesday, promising to work for economic redevelopment in the city and calling upon business leaders to support him. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

As 2000 shifts into distant memory, so will the nation's robust economy, slowed by the weight of falling technology stocks. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

The city's new school superintendent wasted no time shaking things up during her first day on the job Tuesday, requesting letters of resignation from more than 200 workers in the district's central office. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

A one-time police bodyguard to former Mayor Milton Milan was arrested Wednesday, charged with illegally claiming overtime he never worked while assigned to the mayor's security detail. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

The battleship USS New Jersey needs more volunteers to get it shipshape. About 800 volunteers signed up, but only about 30 are showing up weekly to help the Home Port Alliance convert the ship into a museum on the Delaware River. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

The city's Democratic committee appears to be in disarray, as Councilman Israel Nieves bypasses the committee leadership and continues to attack Mayor Gwendolyn Faison. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

Camden's longtime chief financial officer [Richard Cinaglia] was asked Friday to resign for failure to perform his duties as fiscal manager of this impoverished city. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

From the outside, the block of 600-612 Ferry Avenue looks like any other string of abandoned row homes in this troubled city: doors boarded up on the bottom floor, windows broken on the top. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

The city of Camden may have started the year with two murders in six days. But murders in Camden and Gloucester counties rose only slightly last year and Burlington County recorded only three murders in 2000, its lowest in 17 years. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

Sheila Williams-Brown is ashamed to have company over. In the summer, she can't open her windows or have a cookout. She lives about half a block from the county's sewage treatment plant on Ferry Avenue, and she wants to know what the Camden County Municipal Utilities Authority is planning to do about the stench emanating from it. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

Campbell Soup Co. named Nabisco Foods President Douglas R. Conant its president and CEO Monday, ending a nine-month search that began with the abrupt resignation of former CEO Dale Morrison in March. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

In an almost poetic letter written from federal prison, former Mayor Milton Milan criticized the Latino community for its apathy, accused government witnesses of lying, and took credit for such projects as the ballpark and the battleship. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

A fast-track effort to build a pier for the battleship New Jersey by September 2001 could be delayed by a harsh winter, design changes or next spring's shad-spawning season. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

Superintendent Annette Knox faced criticism from union officials Monday for not consulting them before recommending that the school board study school consolidation and other initiatives. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

When Richard A. Alaimo walked into the boardroom of South Jersey Port Corp. about noon on Jan. 23, he saw his colleagues gathered around a fax from Gov. Christie Whitman. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

Advertisements for the restaurant and bar in the new Hyatt Regency Philadelphia at Penn's Landing feature a shimmering vista of a jewel-like waterfront. The Camden Waterfront. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

Minorities continue to lag and once-trumpeted charter schools perform no better than regular schools, according to results released Thursday of standardized test taken by New Jersey students. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

The state released the results of the Elementary School Proficiency Assessment test administered last spring to fourth-grade students in 1,312 schools statewide. The table below lists 209 elementary schools in Burlington, Camden and Gloucester counties that took the test: Schools are grouped by District Factor group, or DFG, a designation based on socioeconomic factors with "A" signifying poverty and "J" signifying wealth. Comparing schools in different groups is viewed as unfair because some districts contain disproportionate numbers of students from disadvantaged homes who tend to score lower. Scores are broken down by percentage of students in each school who scored below proficient, proficient and above proficient. The final two columns are based on a formula devised by Gannett newspapers in New Jersey that weighs and assigns rank to test results. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

The state released results of the High School Proficiency Test taken by 335 high school-level districts statewide. The table below lists 52 schools in Burlington, Camden, and Gloucester counties that took the test. Schools are grouped by District Factor Group, or DFG, a designation based on socioeconomic factors with A" signifying poverty and "J" signifying wealth. Comparing schools in different groups is viewed as unfair because some districts contain disproportionate numbers of students from disadvantaged homes who tend to score lower. The final two columns represent rankings based on the percent of students who passed all three sections of the test. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post"

Legislation that would allow the state to take control of the city's day-to-day operations remains held up in committees and will not be acted on this year. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

Jurors will return this morning for a fifth day deliberating 19 corruption charges against Camden Mayor Milton Milan. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

Annette Knox, a Cleveland educator with more than 30 years of experience in urban districts, will be the first woman to head Camden's public schools. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

The Delaware River Port Authority is expected to adopt eight budgets Wednesday covering operations and capital projects through 2001 that will commit the bistate agency to spending $280.6 million. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

Environmental and taxpayer groups hope a recent investigation blasting an Army Corps of Engineers plan to build locks along the Mississippi River will bolster their case for an independent review of the Delaware River deepening project. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

The Home Port Alliance has hired a museum curator and marketing firm to help the battleship USS New Jersey museum project become a reality. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

Jurors went home for the weekend Friday without reaching a verdict in the federal corruption trial of Camden Mayor Milton Milan. The Jury met for about seven hours on Friday, considering the 19 criminal charges. A fourth day of deliberations by the panel of eight women and four men will begin at 8:45 a.m. Monday. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

The federal prosecutor argued to a jury during five hours of closing remarks that Milan's public life amounts to no more than a chronology of crime and corruption that repeatedly betrayed the citizens who elected him, first to City Council in 1995, then as mayor two years later. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

The Home Port Alliance has approved conceptual plans for a Battleship New Jersey museum that would be twice as large as originally proposed and could almost double the cost of the battleship memorial project. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

Bishop James T. McHugh, the former bishop of the Camden Diocese and an ardent opponent of abortion, died Sunday afternoon at his home on Long Island. He was 68. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

City school officials on Tuesday night will consider drafting a more explicit policy regarding when students may be searched and their property confiscated while they are on school grounds. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

Mariachi music floated out of an open doorway onto Vine Street Sunday, inviting the faithful inside a modest row home for the start of the daylong celebration of the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

A local activist has sued to block the city's approval of a plan to erect seven billboards along Interstate 676. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

When Joseph Balzano, executive director of the South Jersey Port Corp., was in a boardroom in Copenhagen recently trying to persuade the Danes to bring more cargo through the Camden terminals, his cell phone rang. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

In the shadow of the U.S. District Courthouse, more than a hundred community activists and city leaders on Saturday brainstormed plans for the city's future and its battle against state control. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

Assistant General Manager Pete Gentle, heir apparent to the top job at PATCO Hi-Speedline, resigned this month, making him the seventh manager to leave since late July. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

Don Hess has advice for those working to get the USS New Jersey up and running as a floating museum on the Delaware River in Camden: Plan on it taking more time and money than estimates allowed, and put the call out early for volunteers. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

Since it opened it doors in 1953, Coriell Institute for Medical Research in Camden has been at the forefront of its field. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

For six hours Wednesday, investigators from the Camden County Prosecutor's Office searched the City Hall office formerly used by ex-Mayor Milton Milan's bodyguard, carting away three boxes and a hand-held trunk. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

City Council is expected to meet in closed session Friday to learn why the state-appointed business administrator asked Camden's longtime chief financial officer, Richard Cinaglia, to resign. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

A federal appeals court on Tuesday sped up the pace of a legal fight over a controversial cement plant here. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

A former business partner of ex-Camden Mayor Milton Milan, descibed by federal prosecutors as "the model of cooperation", was sentenced Friday to less than five month's house arrest and ordered to repay companies he defrauded by staging a burglary at his office. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

It appears the state has abandoned plans to take control of this impoverished city because of a lack of support from Camden officials. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

Neighborhood leaders led low - key protest Monday against a bill that would allow the state to take over the city. About 50 people rallied at City Hall to demand that Gov. Christie Whitman end efforts that could make Camden the first municipality run directly by the state government. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

Camden is at a crossroads in its history. We in the city and region face an opportunity, and a challenge, to crate something new to replace the existing structures that have failed to provide even a basic level of services to the good people of our city. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

The city school board Thursday postponed again discussion of a proposal to tighten travel spending by board members. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

A federal judge Tuesday ordered the Courier-Post to give prosecutors records from a bankrupt firm with purported ties to Mayor Milton and the mafia. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

The Federal Railroad Administration has granted NJTransit a waiver allowing the state agency to operate a light-rail passenger line in South Jersey on tracks now used exclusively for freight traffic. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

Now that federal regulators have approved the Southern Jersey Light Rail Project with several safety conditions, NJTransit can proceed with its $604 million contract for the Camden-to-Trenton line. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

Automated toll lanes will open without fanfare at 3 a.m. on the Benjamin Franklin, Walt Whitman, Commodore Barry and Betsy Ross bridges, allowing motorists with the proper device attached to their windshield to pass through without stopping or dropping any cash. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

The city's former municipal prosecutor faces a federal trial this week for allegedly trying to extort $5,000 from the city's public defender. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

A bill that would require the state to pick up some of the costs of charter schools, relieving the burden on local districts, unanimously passed the Assembly Education Committee on Monday. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

Francisco "Poncho" Chamorro turned the ignition on his red and white Cadillac at 1:32 a.m. on Christmas Eve, unaware of three men lurking in the fog. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

Mayor Milton Milan's police bodyguard has been reassigned because of his involvement in an unauthorized drug sting operation labeled a threat to public safety by the county's top law enforcement official. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

Former municipal prosecutor Joseph S. Caruso used his access to Mayor Milton Milan to try to extort $5,000 from a public defender up for reappointment, a government attorney told a federal jury Monday. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

The Philadelphia district of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers plans to begin dredging the main channel of the Delaware River in July or August, whether or not the local sponsor has acquired sites to dump the spoils. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

They're at it again. Backers of a plan to dredge the Delaware River are telling South Jersey just how lucky it is to be the recipient of dredge muck. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

In South Jersey one of the nation's biggest defense contractors has gotten bigger. A restructuring effort launched by Lockheed Martin in September has expanded the importance of the company's technology services headquarters to Route 70 in Cherry Hill. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

In 1855, John Augustus Roebling of Burlington County designed and built the Grand Turk Bridge over the Niagara River below Niagara Falls. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

Technology that affected the world had its links to New Jersey. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

On the eve of closing arguments in his federal corruption trial, Camden Mayor Milton Milan asked to fire his attorney, dismiss the jury and begin anew. Abstract courtesy of Courier-Post

The Home Port Alliance will continue meeting privately as it proceeds with plans for the battleship USS New Jersey museum, a project primarily being financed with millions of public dollars. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

In an effort to raise standardized test scores and restore fiscal stability to a troubled district, Superintendent Annette Knox suggested Thursday that the school board look into redistricting, privatizing food service and limiting student field trips. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

The abandoned house on the 1200 block of Magnolia Street sticks out among the well-kept homes that neighbor it. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

City administrators are negotiating with representatives from U.S. Water to determine a more accurate way of estimating residential water bills. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

The co-chairmen of the Home Port Alliance want to revisit a decision to continue closing meetings on the battleship USS New Jersey museum project. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

Two assistant coaches resigned from the Rutgers-Camden men's basketball program and several players were disciplined in the aftermath of a recruiting event last year that resulted in a drunken high school student's car crash Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

Investigators spent an hour Saturday morning under the authority of a search warrant going through a charred fourth-floor office at City Hall that was heavily damaged by a fire Friday night. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

As a boy, Scott Kodger could not get enough of warships. He remembers wondering how so much heavy steel could float and marveling that sailors could spend months at a time at sea. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

Mayoral candidate Keith Walker unveiled his economic revitalization plan Tuesday, saying Camden's decline can be reversed by creating jobs throughout the city, not just in the downtown and Waterfront areas. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

In an emotional, unscheduled appearance before the school board, former interim superintendent Theodore Johnson resigned from his position as an educational consultant for the district. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

A recent decision by the Army Corps of Engineers to suspend the deepening of the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal is both encouraging and baffling. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

A U.S. District judge has dismissed charges against 11 of 16 gun manufacturers named in a lawsuit brought by the Camden County freeholders seeking damages from the companies they say engaged in reckless and negligent handgun marketing and distribution policies." Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post"

Holding signs that read "Save Our Jobs," 30 employees of the city's Public Works Department turned out for Thursday night's City Council meeting to oppose the state's fiscal recovery plan for the city. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post

Jeffery Dorwart remembers his first trip to the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, back in the 1970s, when his Navy captain father took him to see the operation. Abstract courtesy of the Courier-Post