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T H E T R U S T E D L O C A L S O U R C E

Sheriff rammed
Latinos
during car chase
Passaic County Sheriff Jerry Speziale
sustained back injuries late Thursday
when his sheriff’s vehicle was rammed by
Christie orders vital to
accurate
extreme cuts
a vehicle he was pursuing
on Route 46 in Little Fer-
ry, a spokesman said.

Speziale was taken to
St. Joseph’s Regional
Medical Center in Pater-
son and released.
Speziale was in an un-
marked car driven by a staff member
when they heard a radio broadcast about
two robbery suspects at large. They spot-
ted the suspects on Route 17 and pursued
them. The other car eventually U-turned
into Speziale’s vehicle.
— Complete story on L-3
Deputy mayor guilty
in corruption sting
Jersey City Deputy Mayor Leona Beldi-
ni was found guilty Thursday of accepting
two $10,000 bribes in the first case to test
the credibility of Solomon Dwek, the con-
victed swindler at the center of the largest
FBI sting in New Jersey history.
On their second day of deliberations,
jurors found Beldini guilty of two bribery
counts for accepting $20,000 in illicit po-
litical contributions. The jury acquitted her
of more serious charges of conspiracy to
commit extortion and two attempted ex-
tortion counts. Beldini faces up to 10 years
in prison on each bribery count.
— Complete story on A-4
Clinton undergoes
heart procedure
Former President Bill Clinton suffered
chest pains Thursday and was taken to a
New York hospital where doctors inserted
stents in one of his coro-
nary arteries.
Clinton, 63, was “in
good spirits” after the
procedure, an aide said. A
White House official said
President Obama spoke
to Clinton and “wished
him a speedy recovery.”
The insertion of the stents, which are
used to prop open arteries, was done after
consultation with Clinton’s cardiologist.
— Complete story on A-10
U.S. readies attack
U.S. and Afghan forces on Thursday
ringed the Taliban stronghold of Marjah,
sealing off escape routes and setting the
stage for what is being described as the
war’s biggest offensive. The precise date for
the attack has been kept secret.
— Complete story on A-13
www.northjersey.com
ä Read the full text and expanded cover-
age of Governor Christie’s budget speech.
INSIDE
Advice...F-27 – F-29 Horoscope .......F-33
Better Living .......F-1 Movies................F-5
Bridge...............F-32 Obituaries...........L-4
Business.............L-7 People................A-2
Classifieds .........C-1 Public notices ..........
Comics..F-28 – F-31 A-16 – A-19
Crosswords.....F-32, Sports ................S-1
F-33 TelevisionF-34, F-35
Editorials ..........A-20
Governor Christie took his budget remedies to the Legislature with two of his children, Bridget and Patrick.
Governor Christie spelled out his
financial fix for New Jersey on Thurs-
day, immediately freezing money for
public schools and ordering cuts to a
wide range of state programs.
No taxes will go up, Christie prom-
ised, but government will get smaller
to help plug a $2.2 billion hole in the
state budget — all because “New Jer-
sey is in a state of financial crisis.”
“Higher taxes is the road to ruin,”
he told a joint session of the Legisla-
ture. “We must, and we will, shrink
our government.”
Schools will lose the most: $475
million. But the governor said the cuts
will cost many districts “not one pen-
ny … not one dime … not one dollar”
because they can dip into surpluses.
“The union protecters of the status
quo will claim otherwise — and once
again, they will be proven to be self-
interested and wrong,” he said.
Democratic lawmakers pledged to
fight some of the cuts, warning of
u higher property taxes as well as tran-
sit and tuition hikes. But administra-
tion officials, who declined to be quot-
ed on the record, said an executive or-
der signed by Christie before the
speech reinforced his statutory au-
thority to freeze spending.
— John Reitmeyer and Elise Young
census
Immigrant count
faces big hurdles
By ELIZABETH LLORENTE
STAFF WRITER
Latino organizations and the
U.S. Census Bureau plan in the
coming weeks to step up their
campaign to persuade Latino im-
migrants — especially the undocu-
mented — to participate in the
population count.
Latino leaders and census offi-
cials say the effort is unprecedent-
ed, and made all the more urgent
by a campaign spearheaded by a
Bergen County pastor calling on il-
legal immigrants to boycott the
census because of the failure of
Congress to reform immigration
laws.
With Latinos fueling most of the
population growth in New Jersey
and nationwide since the 2000
census, Latino organizations in
New Jersey and New York plan
presentations in Bergen and Passa-
ic counties to urge them to fill out
the census forms when they arrive
in the mail in March.
Census officials and political
and community leaders say the
stakes of an accurate count are
high for all New Jerseyans because
AMY NEWMAN/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER population growth here lagged be-
hind that of many other states. The
state could lose a representative in
Congress and get less federal aid in
Education: Taxes: the coming decade because popu-
School districts with large reserves will Christie promised no new taxes or tax in- lation drives the funding of many
have to use them up to replace $475 mil- creases and has let former Gov. Jon federal programs.
lion in state aid. Christie said it won’t af- Corzine’s higher taxes on the wealthy In mid-March, census represen-
fect classes, teachers or property taxes, expire. But many said his school aid cuts tatives plan to visit such immigrant
but Democrats and local educators said will mean higher property taxes. hubs as Hackensack, Englewood,
tax hikes and layoffs could result. County Passaic and Paterson, said Igor M.
and four-year public colleges will go State employees: Alves, a spokesman for the bureau
without $62.1 million and private col- Christie didn’t propose any more fur- in Manhattan. Alves described the
leges will see $1.1 million less, leading lough days. The state will skip a $100- See CENSUS Page A-6
them to predict tuition increases. million pension contribution to a pot that
Health:
already is $34 billion short of its obliga-
tion, but the governor said the state will
What census
Hospitals will lose $12.6 million in reim- make up the $100 million with long-term means to you
bursements for charity care — to the dis- reforms to pension and health benefits. Census data are used to de-
appointment of hospital administrators, termine congressional dis-
who said they now will lose out on feder- Public Advocate: tricts and how approximately
al matching funds, for a total shortfall of Christie is suspending the Cabinet-level 84 percent of $478 billion in
more than $25 million. State Sen. Loretta Office of the Public Advocate, which bills federal assistance is to be di-
itself “A Voice for the People” as it
Weinberg, D-Teaneck, said she would
“pursue a legislative remedy” to stop the guides citizens through problems with
vided among the states.
Census estimates released in
cuts. Also, FamilyCare, which offers in- government. Projected savings are December showed New Jer-
surance for lower-middle-income fami- $600,000. sey slipping from its rank as
lies, will freeze the number of parents al- ninth-most populous state to
lowed to enroll, for a savings of $1.2 mil- North Jersey:
lion. Repairs to the Alpine Boat Basin, at a
cost of $103,000, will be deferred. At
11th, as other states grew
more.
Transportation: William Paterson University, $100,000 The estimate showed New
Jersey’s total population at
NJ Transit will get $32 million less. Critics reserved for the New Jersey Project will
8.7 million, an increase of
said that means fare increases or reduc- be withdrawn because the school no
293,000 over the 2000 cen-
tions in service; Christie said the savings longer is overseeing it. A chat line at
sus, but 37 other states grew
would come from eliminating patronage Bergen Regional Medical Center will lose
faster.
jobs and excessive middle management. $2,000.
Analysts said the 2010 cen-
sus would need to record

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Please recycle
Speech provokes howls – just as desired 110,000 more people than the
estimates showed for New
Jersey, with the national num-
(888) 4RECORD At least 34% recycled Governor Christie’s “Three weeks into his ate Budget Committee. ä Town-by- bers staying the same, if the
©2010 NORTH JERSEY newsprint. 100% recyclable. “emergency” budget speech administration, all we know Christie’s speech was as town listing of state is to keep its 13 con-
0% deforestation.
MEDIA GROUP INC. on Thursday included this so far about the governor’s much a strategic political lost school gressional seats.
one inaccurate prediction: budget priorities are that provocation as it was a funding. With an estimated 500,000 il-
CHARLES “The defenders of the they consist of an income strategy to close a $2 billion ä More on ed- legal immigrants in New Jer-
STILE status quo will start chatter- tax cut for millionaires and shortfall in the current state ucation, trans- sey, making them among the
ing as soon as I leave this a property tax increase for budget. He successfully portation and largest undocumented popu-
POLITICAL chamber,’’ he said. everyone else,’’ complained goaded Democrats into a environmental lations in the country, census
STILE They didn’t chatter. They Sen. Paul Sarlo of Wood- wartime footing. Democrats cuts. and community leaders say
howled. Ridge, chairman of the Sen- See STILE Page A-14 A-14, A-15 their inclusion in the count is
crucial.

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