On Feb. 29, Orange police announced the arrest of public works employee William Hathaway, charging him with two counts of making terroristic threats against Orange Mayor Eldridge Hawkins, Jr. and another city employee

The arrest came after a YouTube video of Hathaway was posted online, with audio of his voice making profane, racially charged, and threatening remarks against the mayor. Included in the comments was a threat to shoot Hawkins in front of his mother and father.

Statement by Orange Police Director John Rappaport

“An employee of the Orange Public Works Department was arrested yesterday (Feb. 28) for threatening the life of Mayor Eldridge Hawkins, Jr. William Hathaway, 41, is accused of stating, “F… the mayor, I will kill him and shoot him in the head in front of his mother.” Hathaway is also accused of threatening another city employee, stating, “I am going to have you killed.” He referred to the mayor in racial terms that I am uncomfortable repeating, but the Essex County Prosecutor is investigating the incident as a bias crime.

“On February 24th, the Public Works Department had received a complaint of work place harassment alleging racial slurs, voter intimidation, and death threats made by other employees including a high ranking union member. The Director of Public Works forwarded the complaint to the Orange Police Department for review.

“Investigation revealed credible death threats against Mayor Hawkins and another city worker by William Hathaway, a disgruntled employee. Some of the threats were captured on audio tape. Hathaway was taken into custody and charged with two counts of terroristic threats in violation of N.J.S. 2C: 12-3B. He was released on bail later last night. Collateral investigations are still pending into the involvement of other individuals related to carrying out the death threat and/or covering one up. In response security precautions have been taken.”

The Orange Mayoral election on May 8, 2012 will be very interesting. March 7th is the deadline for filing a petition for the nomination. So far, four people have shown interest in running for the mayoral post: incumbent Eldridge Hawkins, Jr., Edward Marable, Jr., Janice Morrell, and Dwayne Warren.

Warren announced in his campaign kickoff on February 2nd that he was running on a team with incumbent councilman Elroy Corbitt, Dwight Holmes, and April Gaunt-Butler for councilmember-at-large. There are three councilmember-at-large positions up for grabs.

The kickoff event was held at Southern Café on Central Avenue in Orange, and I noticed about 110 people there.

On Monday, February 7th, I interviewed the mayoral candidate for our readers to get to know him and make their own decision.

Thirteen New Jersey doctors and a nurse practitioner are charged in a cash-for tests referral scheme for allegedly taking illegal kickback payments to refer patients to an Orange, N.J., medical testing facility, New Jersey U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) Special Agent in Charge Tom O’Donnell announced.

On the morning of Dec. 13, 2011, more than 65 federal and local agents and officers led by HHS-OIG arrested the 14 health care practitioners, to whom radiology and diagnostic facility Orange Community MRI (“OCM”) allegedly paid monthly cash kickback payments in exchange for their referral of Medicare and Medicaid patients to OCM for testing services.

The defendants arrested this morning are scheduled to appear this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Madeline Cox Arleo in Newark federal court. OCM’s executive director, Chirag Patel, 36, of Warren, N.J., was arrested on Dec. 8, 2011, in connection with the scheme. He appeared that day before Judge Arleo and was released on a $750,000 bond.

How secure the some 87 residents of the McIver Homes at 111 South Munn Ave., whose management has apparently replaced two paid guards with a closed circuit television system Dec. 1, may be either a question of substance or of perception.

That question has reached the ears of East Orange council members and police department at least by the former's committee meeting here at City Hall Dec. 5. The council, responding to 10 McIver residents and an 11th public speaker, is reviewing their options with their legal department.

"We're looking for a copy of the lease," said Fourth Ward Councilman William Holt to "Local Talk" after their meeting. "We want to see with our Department of Law what the lease says about security."