Capping off a gangbusters week of widespread adulation following his daring rescue of a woman from a burning building, Newark mayor Cory Booker was awarded the highest honor for valor last night when Stephen Colbert named him his "Alpha Dog of the Week." In the segment below, Colbert salutes Booker for his quick-thinking resourcefulness: "He is so hands on, one time he even pulled himself over and sued himself for racial profiling." more ›

Superhero invincible Newark Mayor Saint Cory Booker is still surfing a golden wave of publicity after rescuing a woman from a burning building Thursday night. His eternally grateful constituent, Zina Hodge, 48, is still recovering from burns and smoke inhalation at Saint Barnabas Medical Center, but she gave her first interview to Fox 9 last night, and you really can't buy this kind press: more ›

When Newark Mayor Cory Booker isn't personally shoveling constituents' driveways or donating kidneys to homeless people (only one of those is a joke) he's rushing into burning buildings to save neighbors' lives. Last night Booker arrived home to find the second floor of the house next door going up in flames, and no firefighters or EMS in sight. Naturally, he shoved past his security detail and dashed into the inferno. more ›

Former New Jersey Gov. Richard Codey dabbled in homelessness Monday night, disguising his face with makeup and a fake beard, dressing in shabby clothes, and venturing out on the mean streets of Newark in search of shelter. But turns out it's not easy being a hobo, especially if you are mentally ill. NBC New York reports that Codey was posing as a mentally ill man who had just been released from a psychiatric ward. But after calling more than 20 shelters and care facilities in Newark, he could not find a place to spend the night, and many shelters said they would not accept mentally ill individuals, nor would they accept anyone who was not on welfare. more ›

Once again, our precious Radiohead has bypassed Madison Square Garden in favor of, uh, greener pastures in New Jersey. The last time the greatest band in human history performed in an arena conveniently located for important, time-pressed New Yorkers, it was 2006 at Madison Square Garden (their impossibly-sold-out Roseland shows in November don't count, and we're not counting Occupy Wall Street either). A number of east coast tour dates were announced today, and the closest Radiohead will get to NYC is the Prudential Center in lovely downtown Newark. PATH train, here we come! more ›

Time to talk about putting armed guards in Newark restaurants after 9 p.m. again? On Saturday night the city of Newark saw its 12th homicide of the year when an armed gunman entered the Golden Pizzeria and Grill around 11:13 p.m. Saturday night, hopped over the counter and shot 55-year-old father of six Calvin Johnson twice in the chest. Johnson, who was just finishing his shift, was pronounced dead soon after. more ›

Yesterday New Jersey Governor Chris Christie ripped Ray Kelly a new one for the riding around NJ like a cowboy, spying on suspicious Muslims (and with the NYPD, they're all suspicious). "The NYPD seems to have that they’re the masters of the universe, they think that their jurisdiction is the world," Christie declared, adding, "9/11 was not prevented because law enforcement agencies weren't talking to each other: They were being selfish, they were being provincial, they were being paranoid, and they were being arrogant." This morning Bloomberg fired back, insisting that Newark and NJ was appraised of the NYPD's controversial "Demographics Unit" operations in their back yard. more ›

Outrage over a photograph of Whitney Houston's body in her casket, which was published by the National Enquirer, has been so intense that people have been threatening funeral home owner Carolyn Whigham. The Newark businesswoman held a press conference today to deny she had anything to do with leaking (or selling) the photograph, "I want to clear my name and my funeral home." more ›

With the Associated Press' reports about the NYPD's large-scale surveillance of Muslims in not just New York City but across the Eastern seaboard came the revelation that the NYPD has been spying on Muslims in Newark. That upset Newark Mayor Cory Booker as well as NJ Governor Chris Christie, who spoke out against the NYPD last night. more ›

Hours after he abruptly left the funeral of his ex-wife Whitney Houston, Bobby Brown performed at the Mohegan Sun casino in Connecticut with New Edition. "This whole year for me has been really difficult, but this is part of the cap off of what is to come in my life," Brown told the crowd. "I want to give blessings to my ex-wife Whitney Houston, I love you." more ›

Friends and family alike paid tribute to Whitney Houston today at an emotional ceremony at the New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, NJ. Perhaps the most moving speech came from actor Kevin Costner, who shared anecdotes about their time working together on the movie The Bodyguard, how they bonded over tales of growing up in Baptist churches, and what her loss means to him: "You weren't just pretty, you were as beautiful as a woman could be. People didn't just like you, Whitney. They loved you. I was your pretend bodyguard once not so long ago, and now you're gone, too soon, leaving us with memories." more ›

[UPDATE BELOW] Whitney Houston's ex-husband and New Edition front man Bobby Brown briefly entered Houston's funeral at New Hope Baptist Church earlier today before leaving looking "visibly upset." According to the Star-Ledger, Brown arrived with "an entourage of nine people" and requested to sit in the family's section with the child he had with Houston, 18-year-old Bobbi Kristina. "They were asked to leave," a source told the paper, referring to Brown's entourage," but Brown "left with the other people." more ›

Whitney Houston's family has requested that her funeral, which is is taking place in Newark today, be a private ceremony for family and friends only. Although some fans have gathered around the neighborhood where the New Hope Baptist Church is located to pay tribute, most people are respecting those wishes—and that even includes gang members, who have called for a day of nonviolence to honor Houston. more ›

As preparations continue for Whitney Houston's funeral tomorrow, the music superstar's godmother Aretha Franklin shared her thoughts with the Today Show. The Queen of Soul said that based on previews of Houston's upcoming film, Sparkle, she thought Houston looked "fresh, she looked healthy, and she looked gorgeous. And I thought, 'Yes, she has conquered her challenges' and was on the way." more ›

The funeral for Whitney Houston is open only to invited guests—who include Aretha Franklin, Kevin Costner, Jay-Z, Beyonce, Oprah Winfrey, and Stevie Wonder so far—but the public will get a chance to observe the services through a livestream. The AP will broadcast the funeral at http://livestream.com/aplive: "It will provide a much-needed connection for fans who have lacked a formal place to eulogize Houston, one of the world's best-selling artists who died in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Saturday at the age of 48." more ›

The funeral for Whitney Houston now appears to be scheduled for Saturday at the New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, NJ. While a community leader with ties to the Houston family suggested yesterday the funeral and a public memorial would be held at the Prudential Center, the funeral home arranging the services said today that they would be much more private. more ›

The body of music superstar Whitney Houston is being flown to New Jersey for funeral services that will take place this week. Houston, who was born in Newark and raised in East Orange, died on Saturday afternoon, hours before she was scheduled to perform at a pre-Grammys event. One community leader who has ties to Houston's family tells the Star-Ledger that the funeral "has been tentatively scheduled for Friday at the Prudential Center." more ›

Last week was a good one for our local Customs agents. Not only did they find $300,000 in fake bills at JFK, agents at Newark confiscated about 6.1 pounds of cocaine in two separate incidents. The Italian woman who hid her coke in a false bottomed bag is pretty run of the mill, but give credit to the Peruvian guy who tried to smuggle his drugs in deflated soccer balls and inside four pairs of sandals. No hiding coke in coloring book pages, but not bad. more ›

Lori Berenson, the New York native who spent over 15 years in a Peruvian prison after her 1996 conviction in a foiled terrorist plot, arrived at Newark Liberty Airport this morning as part of a sanctioned holiday visit. Before finally taking off in Peru with her 2-year-old son Salvador, she told an AP reporter, in reference to her mandated January 11 return date, "I just hope we don't get caught in a snow storm." more ›

Newark police and the Essex County Prosecutor's Office say that an off-duty Newark police officer shot a man who was trying to carjack him. The cop had been sitting in his car (wearing street clothes) near 17 Avenue A when two men approached him, demanding his car while brandishing a gun. more ›

A Newark cop has been accused of tricking a drunk driver into giving him his pickup truck so the officer could use it to ram his estranged wife's car. Officer Enrique Gonzalez has been charged with criminal mischief and receiving stolen property—police say the pickup driver thought he had lucked out when the uniformed officer, who was off-duty at the time, told him to pickup the car later: "He says, ‘Okay, I’m not going to arrest you. Park your car here. I’m going to leave the keys in the tailpipe. Come back and get the car when you’re sober,’" Police Director Samuel DeMaio said. The driver "comes back several hours later and finds the car gone." more ›

While the real Gotham City is right here, of course, sometimes other cities are used to portray it on film—you know, since we're so terribly busy and important here in New York. And so it goes, The Dark Knight Rises has now relocated from Manhattan to... Newark. According to CBS, the cast and crew are in the Garden State today and tomorrow, prompting major traffic concerns for New Jersey commuters—the Newark Light Rail from Penn Station to Broad Street Station will not be running for the two days, and car traffic will be rerouted. more ›