May 28, 2014 • www.theobserver.com • Vol CXXVI, No. 53
COVERING: BELLEVILLE • BLOOMFIELD
Talk about a real ‘con’ game By Karen Zautyk Observer Correspondent In our April 4 edition, The Observer warned readers of a new phone scam that was targeting Bergen County residents, but was expected to spread. We reported that unsuspecting targets were receiving phone calls from individuals purporting to be sheriff’s officers who demanded immediate payment of a fine because the call recipient has ostensibly failed to report for jury duty. Last week, the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) announced it had arrested two suspects. One is a Georgia corrections officer, one is an inmate in Georgia, and the scam was being run out of a prison in that state. As they say, you can’t make this stuff up. The accused were identified as Clarinda K. Carter, a guard at the privately run Wheeler State Correctional Facility in Alamo, Ga., and Covian J. Camp, incarcerated at Autry State Prison in Pelham, Ga. The two had apparently met at Wheeler, but Camp was later transferred to Autry. Carter, 26, waived extradition and was transported to the Bergen County Jail on May 16. She see JURY DUTY page
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• EAST NEWARK • HARRISON • KEARNY • LYNDHURST • NORTH ARLINGTON • NUTLEY
Will state help cure deficit? T
By Ron Leir Observer Correspondent BELLEVILLE –
Photo by Ron Leir
The state has sent Thomas Egan to monitor Belleville Board of Education finances.
he state Department of Education has assigned a monitor to oversee the Belleville Board of Education’s fiscal operations. Thomas Egan, a former IRS employee who has worked the last 18 years as a school business administrator in Bergenfield and Garfield, will have oversight power over all spending and hiring in the Belleville school district. Egan, who has also been monitoring the Elmwood Park school district since January 2013, arrived in Belleville May 13 and was introduced to the school board members at their May 14 meeting. Egan told The Observer he’s in Belleville for two reasons: first, because the annual
audit of the district for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2013, compiled by McEnerney, Brady & Co. CPAs of Livingston, “found areas of concern – for example, proper accounting procedures were not being followed for all grant programs ….” and secondly, because “the district notified the executive county superintendent (Joseph Zarro) that it faced a substantial deficit.” School officials have estimated that the deficit could be as much as $2.5 million. “These two facts combined automatically initiated my being here,” Egan said. As part of their report to the district, the auditors had this observation: “It was noted during our engagement that management prepared cash flow projections for the District year 2013-2014. see MONITOR page
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They’re on call to help seniors By Karen Zautyk Observer Correspondent NUTLEY – “Do you need anything?” “How can we help?” Or maybe just, “How are you?” The questions are simple. But to someone who has little human contact, they
mean the world. And, unfortunately, as the population ages -- and lives longer -- more and more Americans are finding themselves alone and feeling lost. In this town, there is a concerted effort to reach out to senior citizens, not only
through the usual clubs and other activities designed for them, but also through personal phone calls. At least twice a month. It’s communication that was heretofore lacking for some. But it is so much more. The call recipient is reminded that he or she is
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not completely alone. Someone cares. Someone is there to offer assistance that might be needed. The Senior Call program, operated by the Department of Public Affairs and Department of Health, came about thanks see SENIORS page
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