The Herald-News from Passaic, New Jersey • 19

Trenton DiFrancesco Signs New Budget B3 Lawmakers Cram, but Miss Major Bills B3 ttrjirii Section Herald News www.northJersey.com Saturday, June 30, 2001 Parker Gets OK to Travel Out of State Minister Uses Sports To Spark Spirituality The Rev. Robert C. McKenzie is pastor of New Hope Baptist Church on Market Street in Pater-son. Founded in 1991 by the now deceased Rev. James Davis, New Hope Baptist Church sits in a storefront across the street from Eastside High School, McKemie's alma mater.

McKemie was ordained in 1994 and has a doctorate in biblical studies from Ander-sonville Baptist Seminary in Camilla, Go. Judge's Ruling Has No Affect On Charges in Child's Death By LAURIE CUNNINGHAM Herald News Former Giants football player Jeremiah Parker, charged with killing his girlfriend's son, can now leave the state after Passaic County prosecutors declined to present evidence against him at a court hearing Friday. Because there was no evidence offered at the hearing, state Superior Court Judge Marilyn Clark, sitting in Paterson, found that the prosecutor had not proved probable cause on whether Parker committed the crime. However, the judge's ruling does not dismiss any of the charges against Parker, it only removes a bail condition that prohibited him from leaving the state. The prose cutor has 120 days to present the case to a grahd jury and obtain an indictment.

Probable cause hearings, which require prosecutors to present just enough evidence to sustain charges, are routinely conducted in juvenile cases because juveniles are held without bail but are rarely -requested in adult cases. The main purpose of a probable cause hearing is to ensure that defendants are not kept in jail without sufficient evidence. It does not affect the charges against them but allows suspects to be released from jail pending an indictment if the prosecution fails to establish probable cause. Because Parker is already free on $200,000 bail, Chief Assistant Prosecutor William Purdy said there was no reason to present any of the state's evidence against him. See Parker, Page B6 0 Elite MartovttchHerald News Above left, Jeremiah Parker listens to Judge Marilyn Clark during a hearing In Paterson Friday.

At right, Tauleah Kelly reacts as prosecutor William Purdy describes how her son died. r. McKemie also has a doctorate equivalency in psychology from Howard University and worked as a research psychologist for the Newark School District. He McKenzle Don lnJayon3 Aasiiy TT i 'I. Clifton Hires An Inspector To Root Out Illegal Pupils $100 Bounty Will Double To Stem Resource Drain By MICHAEL CLANCY Herald News CLIFTON Stepping up its effort to catch out-of-district students attending public schools, the Board of Education has hired a full-time residency inspector and, for a one-month period beginning in September, will double its $100 bounty for information leading to the expulsion of so-called illegal students.

Vincent Constantino has been named the district's residency inspector as of July 1, earning $28,000 a year, with 24 vacation days after a year's service. He was hired in a 5-to-4 vote Thursday night. The board will still employ its part-time investigators. With district enrollment steadily climbing each year, topping over 10,000 students for the 2001-2002 school year, some suspect that the increase is due to illegal students attending city schools. For some, it is a question of perception.

Others believe it to be a reality. Mayor James Anzaldi and City Council members have frequently criticized the board for being soft on illegal students, many of whom are thought to come from such poor-performing, state-controlled districts as Passaic, Paterson and Garfield. One board member questioned the hiring procedure since officials were going to put in place a residency inspector candidate before they hammered out the position's requirements. "We are trying to put the cart before the horse," said board member Jean Bernstein, who voted against it. "I still have questions about the job description as it's written." According to the job description, the investigator will work 35 hours a week, "conduct surveillance at homes" and "visit homes and investigate non-residency allegations," among other duties.

The new inspector is a neighbor of board member James Smith, but Schools Superintendent See School, Page B6 1 Kevin R. WexterHeraW News Ceasar, a German shepherd, draws the attention of cadets at the Wayne Junior Police Academy, where the dog's handler, Trooper Debra Falello of the State Police K-9 unit, demonstrates how her partner uncovers hidden drugs. Seventy-two youngsters took part In the academy program. i j.f teaches Bible history at the Northern Baptist School of Religion in Newark. Since becoming New Hope's pastor in 1994 McKenzie has grown his flock from six to 25 members.

Under McKenzie's leadership the mall congregation has focused its evangelical efforts on the city's children. The congregation sponsors three basketball teams and two baseball teams for about 100 children as part of its effort to get youths off the streets. A Vietnam War veteran, McKenzie would eventually like to open a Christian school. Born in Lake City, S.C., McKenzie, 55, moved to Paterson with his family at the age of 13. He is married to Pearl McKenzie and has two grown sons, Robert and Darwin.

How would you describe New Hope Baptist Church? I would say it's a traditional, independent Baptist church. We belong to the New Hope Missionary Baptist Association. What makes your church special? I think we're special because we are a church that tries to help meet the needs of the community. We work with the youth of Paterson by sponsoring basketball and baseball teams. I conduct Bible study with the kids once a week before every practice on Saturday morning.

Even though your congregation is small, it manages to serve almost 120 children. How do you manage that? At our church we'll give you something to do. If you have any kind of talent, we'll train you to teach on Sunday, become a youth worker, or to do whatever you want to do. Why is work so important? We believe that when you become saved and you become part of God's family, you should become a worker for the kingdom of God. That's the great commission.

Is your church still growing? Yes, I believe it is. We just need a building. We need something bigger so we can start the day care and the preschool ministry. Why does your church focus on youth? That was the easiest ministry for us that was economically feasible. We felt we needed to do something, but we couldn't start a Christian school.

The cheapest way to work with kids was to sponsor the different teams. How expensive is it to sponsor a team? The budget for this kind of ministry is around $3,000 a year. Do the youths who participate in your programs have to attend your church? What we were doing was requiring them to come to Bible study, but we had to go and pick them up. We decided that I would just teach them on the field just before practice. Why do you think athletics is so important to your evangelism? It gives us a chance to work with the kids, to counsel them and teach them spiritually.

We also have a tutoring program for kids who are not doing well in school. We're having tremendous influence on the kids. Some have behavioral problems. Some of them have come to me and thanked me personally. Were you sports-conscious as a young person? As a matter of fact, I was a track See Page B6 "We're trying to make friends," said Officer Pete trying to show them the other side of police work." Day-to-day operations involve responding to alarms and traffic stops, not the violent crimes kids may see on television, officers said.

The academy ran from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. every day. Activities included a tour of the Passaic County Police Academy, lessons in self-defense and a chance to meet FBI agents. Most kids said Thursday was their favorite day.

At 9 a.m., the young cadets, dressed in navy T-shirts and ball caps, marched in wobbly lines out to the Wayne Valley High School football field for an event called "fatal vision relay races." 72 Youngsters Learn About Law Enforcement Duties By MARY KATE FRANK Herald News WAYNE After a week of running relays in the hot sun, doing push-ups and marching, a brand-new class of police cadets graduated from the township's police academy Friday afternoon. But these cadets won't be patrolling the streets anytime soon. They haven't even learned how to drive yet. A group of 72 children, ages 10 to 13, participated in this year's Wayne Junior Police Academy, which is sponsored annually by the township. Now in its third year, the weeklong program seeks to help kids become more comfortable with cops and gain a broader understanding of police work.

"It was designed as an outreach to the community," Ahearnsaid. About 30 officers participate, acting as squad leaders or giving demonstrations. Officer Charlie Ahearn, the coordinator of the program, said the program is so popular with officers he has to turn many officers away. Children are just as eager to be involved. This year, the program filled up in one day, Ahearn said.

Officer Dennis Paylo, a squad leader, said the kids are usually intimidated at first. To alleviate their fears, the officers do not carry weapons. Rather than their traditional uniforms, they wear gold golf shirts. Kevin R. WexlerHerald News Tonya Lee, wearing goggles that simulate the vision of someone who Is drunk, tries kicking ball.

Donning goggles that simulate a .17 blood-alcohol level, .07 above the legal limit, the cadets attempted to run around a series of orange cones. "It's just as difficult driving a car drunk as running through cones," said Pohludka. "They're learning a valuable lesson." See Academy, Page B6 1 State Senate Confirms Two Wayne Attorneys as Judges in Passaic County By A. SCOTT FERGUSON Herald News The state Senate confirmed the nominations of two Wayne attorneys to serve as state Superior Court judges in Passaic County. Garry Rothstadt and John Selser will likely be sworn in and assume their judgeships this summer, possibly as early as next month, according to a statement from state Sen.

John A. Girgenti, D-Hawthorne. The two were unanimously confirmed by the state Senate on Thursday. Rothstadt, a Democrat, is a partner in a Parsip-pany-based litigation firm. Selser, a Republican, Is a Hackensack attorney who specializes in matrimonial law.

Selser is a trustee of the Bergen County Bar Association and a member of the Passaic County Bar Asso- See Judges, Page B6 Semler's Swan Song, 'Hit the Road, Jack Has Her Dancing Out of Office By ANDREW GLAZER Herald News PASSAIC Mayor Margie Semler danced out of her office Friday, ending an era defined by her stern, brutally honest guidance. Her exit song was "Hit the Road Jack," which played from a computer outside her office, and she sung and shimmied along to Ray Charles. The 78-year-old piped up, grinned and waved her hands in the air while she and Charles sung a verse about a "mean old woman, the meanest old woman you ever did see." While much of the city awaited a judge's decision that would determine whether her successor Samuel Rivera would take office Sunday, Semler ate cake, hugged colleagues and married five couples, bringing See Semler, Page B6 Un KyleHerald News Pattaic Mayor Margie Semler, left, gives a hug while her secretary, Joy E. Kovalyctlk, answers one of the last calls Friday, the mayor's last day In office. Samuel Rivera will become mayor July 1..