Paterson, NJ
Police & Fire
State Slams Paterson Handyman Who Refused To Serve Jewish Clients State Slams Paterson Handyman Who Refused To Serve Jewish Clients
State Slams Paterson Handyman Who Refused To Serve Jewish Clients A handyman from Paterson was ordered to immediately stop refusing to serve Jews and take several remedial steps or face serious charges, state authorities in Trenton said on Thursday. Melquisedec Francis must satisfy eight specific demands to keep from being prosecuted, including announcing that he no longer discriminates against Jewish customers, attending training on anti-Semitism and paying a fine, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin said on Nov. 30. In advertisements on TaskRabbit and elsewhere last month, Francis wrote: "I am expressing my solidarity with the Palestinian Peopl…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Bethlehem, PA
Schools
Satanic Temple To Receive $200K From Pennsylvania School District: ACLU Satanic Temple To Receive $200K From Pennsylvania School District: ACLU
Satanic Temple To Receive $200K From Pennsylvania School District: ACLU (Note: This story has been updated to include a statement from the school district.) The Saucon Valley School District has agreed to pay $200,000 in attorney's fees to The Satanic Temple, according to the American Civil Liberties Union.  The Salem, Massachusetts-based Temple had filed suit against SVSD early this year after administrators blocked the group from sponsoring an "After School Satan Club" at Saucon Valley Middle School.  Under the settlement inked this week, the district will give the club "the same access to school facilities that other comparable organizations receive," said…

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by Mac Bullock
Mahwah-Ramsey, NJ
News
Mahwah Native Fired After Train Rant Toward Tourists Goes Viral Mahwah Native Fired After Train Rant Toward Tourists Goes Viral
Mahwah Native Fired After Train Rant Toward Tourists Goes Viral A 30-year-old New Jersey woman has been fired after a video of her berating German tourists on an NJ Transit train went viral, multiple outlets report. Brianna Pinnix, a talent acquisition specialist at Capital Rx from Mahwah, is seen screaming at the tourists as her boyfriend attempted to restrain her in a video initially posted on Reddit, as reported by TMZ and the NY Post. The ordeal happened on a New Jersey Transit train following the New York Jets v. Kansas City Chiefs game on Sunday, Oct. 1, according to The Messenger. "Bri, do not this," the man with her said in vain. "Stop thi…

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by Sam Barron
Vineland, NJ
Police & Fire
State Charges Millville Court With Discriminating Against Spanish Speakers State Charges Millville Court With Discriminating Against Spanish Speakers
State Charges Millville Court With Discriminating Against Spanish Speakers State authorities filed a complaint Tuesday accusing the city of Millville of violating the law by discriminating against Spanish-speaking defendants. The municipal court in Millville required those who “were or were perceived to be Spanish-speaking” prevented them from participating in court proceedings virtually between June and December 2022, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin said on Aug. 8. Instead, they were required to attend court proceedings in person, the attorney general said. The situation was brought to light by Municipal Court Judge Jason Witcher, who accused the …

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by Jerry DeMarco
Massapequa, NY
Police & Fire
Swastikas Found At Playgrounds Across Long Island Swastikas Found At Playgrounds Across Long Island
Swastikas Found At Playgrounds Across Long Island Police on Long Island are searching for the people responsible for leaving antisemitic graffiti on playground equipment at a park and an elementary school.  The first incident occurred on the night of Sunday, July 23 at Andrew J. Parise Park in Cedarhurst, according to the Rockaway Nassau Safety Patrol (RNSP).  Swastikas had been etched into a plastic piece of play equipment, the officers discovered.  Then, on Sunday, July 30 at approximately 9 a.m., it happened again. Nassau County Police detectives arrived at the playground at Chatterton School, located at 108 M…

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by Sophie Grieser
Middletown, NJ
News
NJ Boy With Autism Traumatized After Being Booted From Movie Theater Bathroom With Mom: Lawsuit NJ Boy With Autism Traumatized After Being Booted From Movie Theater Bathroom With Mom: Lawsuit
NJ Boy With Autism Traumatized After Being Booted From Movie Theater Bathroom With Mom: Lawsuit A Monmouth County mother is suing a local movie theater and its national holding company after police were called during what was supposed to be a special night out, her attorney says. Christine Gallinaro and her son, J.G., who has autism and is nonverbal, had tickets for Disney’s “Elemental” at Showtimes at Cinemark Hazlet 12 on June 16, according to the family's attorney, R. Armen McOmber. Trouble began when Gallinaro brought her son into the women's restroom with her for the second time that day, as the theater did not have family restrooms, leaving her with no other choice, according to…

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by Cecilia Levine & Jon Craig
Mamaroneck, NY
News
Mamaroneck School District Failed To Address Race, Gender Based Bullying: Attorney General Mamaroneck School District Failed To Address Race, Gender Based Bullying: Attorney General
Mamaroneck School District Failed To Address Race, Gender Based Bullying: Attorney General Following an investigation that found a Westchester school district failed to adequately address race- and gender-based bullying and harassment against students, the district has agreed to make the needed changes to improve its response to these incidents, officials said.  The Mamaroneck Union Free School District agreed to make these changes following an investigation conducted by the New York Office of the Attorney General, Attorney General Letitia James announced on Tuesday, July 18.  According to James, the investigation was started in June 2020 following allegations from…

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by Ben Crnic
Monsey, NY
Politics
Protest Planned For GOP Presidential Hopeful Ron DeSantis' Visit To Hudson Valley Protest Planned For GOP Presidential Hopeful Ron DeSantis' Visit To Hudson Valley
Protest Planned For GOP Presidential Hopeful Ron DeSantis' Visit To Hudson Valley As Republican presidential candidate, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, heads to the Hudson Valley for an upscale fundraiser, local Democrats, and LBGTQ supporters, plan to protest. DeSantis is slated to appear at an invitation-only $ 6,600-a-person fundraising event in Rockland County at the Crowne Plaza in Suffern on Thursday, June 29. In advance of the event, reportedly planned by Seth Gribetz, the Englewood, New Jersey investor, local Democrats are putting out the call for demonstrators on their Facebook page. "We are taking action and organizing a powerful, peaceful protest to let Gover…

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by Kathy Reakes
Newark, NJ
Business
NJ Popeyes Discriminated Against Black Employee: Lawsuit NJ Popeyes Discriminated Against Black Employee: Lawsuit
NJ Popeyes Discriminated Against Black Employee: Lawsuit A former Popeyes employee has filed a lawsuit against the Essex County restaurant, claiming the restaurant frequently discriminated against him because he as Black. Wesley Hammonds, a Jersey City resident, filed the lawsuit last month in Essex County Superior Court against Belleville Chicken, LLC, which operations the location in Belleville and the store's general manager. Hammonds had worked at Popeyes from June 2020 until May 2022, when he was terminated. Hammonds, who was the only Black employee, said he was hired to be a manager, but the restaurant did not want a Black manager visible i…

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by Sam Barron
Jersey City, NJ
News
'Tone It Down': Popular Secaucus Library Programmer Says He Was Fired Over His Lifestyle 'Tone It Down': Popular Secaucus Library Programmer Says He Was Fired Over His Lifestyle
'Tone It Down': Popular Secaucus Library Programmer Says He Was Fired Over His Lifestyle A popular host of online programs at the Secaucus library claims he was terminated because library higher ups did not approve of his "lifestyle." Jeffrey Machno has filed a complaint with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) after he said he contacted the board of trustees at the library to complain about how he was treated.  During the pandemic, Machno, a lifelong Secaucus resident who works full-time at a fashion house, hosted a trivia night online. He quickly developed a following and started having his own interview program. He even hosted Secaucus' Got Talent in…

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by Sam Barron
Cambridge, MA
Schools
'Whites-Only' Hiring Practice Only Part Of 'Palpable' Racism At Everett Schools, Suit Alleges 'Whites-Only' Hiring Practice Only Part Of 'Palpable' Racism At Everett Schools, Suit Alleges
'Whites-Only' Hiring Practice Only Part Of 'Palpable' Racism At Everett Schools, Suit Alleges A superintendent and her deputy were told that they were not “Everett enough,” as a code for “they’re not white like us," a new lawsuit claims. Superintendent Priya Tahiliani and her Deputy Superintendent Kim Tsai filed a joint suit against the City of Everett, Mayor Carlo Demaria, and the Everett School Committee on Tuesday, March 21 for a litany of racist acts that culminated in her tenure not being renewed, according to court documents. https://t.co/hhfDa1creG Many parents and students denounced the Everett School Committee's decision not to renew Priya Tahiliani's contract, despite …

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by Morgan Gonzales
Marlton-Evesham, NJ
News
Special Education Teacher Fired After Complaining About Understaffing In South Jersey: Lawsuit Special Education Teacher Fired After Complaining About Understaffing In South Jersey: Lawsuit
Special Education Teacher Fired After Complaining About Understaffing In South Jersey: Lawsuit A special education teacher has sued a South Jersey school district for firing her after she complained about understaffing. Bryanna Mostak, 30, of Hamilton, was fired after taking a medical leave due to stress and anxiety. Mostak claims her supervisors failed to respond to her complaints as an elementary school teacher in the Bordentown Regional School District. Mostak began the 2021 school year with seven special education students  "who often had very aggressive or violent tendencies and suffered from numerous physical, emotional, behavioral, and psychological challenges," the laws…

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by Jon Craig