Two Jersey City Municipal Court administrators have been suspended over allegations they fixed their own tickets, according to court officials.

Hudson County Prosecutor Edward DeFazio confirmed that his office is investigating the charges, which, sources say, involve approximately 65 traffic and parking tickets issued to the employees, Victor Matos and Virginia Pagan. It could not be learned whether the two are being paid during their suspension. (Earl Morgan, Jersey Journal, 09/10/07)

"Pleasantville Board of Education member James Pressley, 22, allegedly accepted corrupt cash payments of $3,600, $3,600, $7,500 and $17,500 between May 2006 and October 2006 to steer school district insurance brokerage business and roofing business to the cooperating witnesses. In May 2006, Pressley was recording bragging about how his 'big plan' to have three particular board members leave a board meeting, leaving only supporting votes, on a resolution authorizing a company of one of the cooperating witnesses to provide brokerage services to the district. “I had three members leave the meeting,” he said. 'It was a strategy (and) it took me a week to do.... They left the board meeting, and we had the votes to do it.'" (U.S. Attorney, 09/06/07)

"Gregory P. McGuckin, Republican mayoral candidate and current Township Council president, has been hit with federal tax liens of over $120,000 for unpaid income tax liabilities, according to documents filed with the Ocean County clerk.  The liens totaling $121,913.87 are for unpaid individual taxes from the years 2001, 2003, 2004 and 2005, according to a pair of Notices of Federal Tax Lien from the Internal Revenue Service.” (Lauren Kidd, Asbury Park Press)

“In his bid for reelection as Bergen County's sheriff, Leo McGuire, has found support from an unlikely place: a local fitness center and massage spa where police had made several prostitution arrests. Heaven Is a Spa Inc. made two contributions to the Democratic sheriff's reelection campaign totaling $600 in the last year, according to campaign finance records.” (Carmiel, Bergen Record, 09/05/07)

"During the chaotic days after anthrax-laced letters made their way through the (Hamilton) township post office in 2001, sickening several workers and pitching the region into fear, a local company began marketing a product that would protect mail sorters from the deadly bacteria."

"Eterna, a company owned by Republican mayoral candidate John Bencivengo, advertised its Skin Guard product as the 'first line of defense' against anthrax and urged postal workers to use the cream every day before sorting mail. A 6-ounce bottle cost $19.95 plus shipping and handling." (Isherwood, The Trenton Times, 09/02/07)