Fresh Jersey

McGreeveys may settle?

No, this is not a dream.  The potentially nightmarish McGreevey divorce trial may actually not happen.  Both sides agreed yesterday to sit down and negotiate. And, from the tenor of a joint statement by their lawyers, it seems as if those discussions are going well.   Let's hope so.  The last thing America --and New Jersey -- needs is a re-hashing of the weird life of former Governor James McGreevey and his wife Dina.  But the most important person in this fight -- the couple's 6-year-old daughter -- should be spared a public tussle by her parents.  Keep talking.  Keep silent, too.

A New Rutgers football Stadium? Not yet

Remember all the hoopla about expanding the Rutgers football stadium.  Just when the university was suffering all manner of budget cuts, Rutgers decided on a $102 million expansion of an otherwise fine stadium that needed no expansion whatsoever.  To help this bitter pill go down more smoothly, Rutgers promised to raise $30 million from private donors.  Even Governor Corzine said he would help.

Well, guess what?  Construction on the stadium has started, but the private fund raising campaign is still in neutral.  The same is true about the sale of naming rights to the new stadium.  Rutgers hoped to receive $2 million for the naming rights but has no takers so far.

Is this another case of promises not kept?

Fresh air in Atlantic City

Finally, gamblers in Atlantic City's casinos can breathe freely -- almost.  The Atlantic City council voted 9-0 to ban smoking on the gambling floors of the city's casinos.  But casinos are still allowed to build "smoking lounges" just off the gambling floor.  The presence of these lounges will still allow for second-hand smoke to permeate the insides of casinos. But banning smoking on the casino floors will go a long way toward making the air cleaner. 

Who cheered the ruling the most?   Casino workers.  They have been breathing the junky air from smoky gamblers for years.  Finally, they can catch their breath.

With the NJ National Guard ... in Pennslyvania

I just got back from spending two days with the New Jersey National Guard's 50th Combat Brigade as it prepares for deployment in Iraq.  The 3,400 soldiers are training in -- get this -- Pennsylvania.  Seems that Fort Dix is booked.  So the NJ troops were sent to Fort Indiantown Gap, not far from Harrisburg, Pa.  I have to say the fort is a cross between a World War II movie set and a nature preserve.  The hills are beautiful,with all manner of hawks flying overhead.  The barracks date back to World War II.  I joked with many soldiers that I expected the cast of "Hogan's Heroes" to drop by.

Along with photographer Tyson Trish, I'm preparing a story for Monday's newspaper, as well as an audio presentation for our web page.  Next week, staff writer Justo Bautista is heading for the fort, along with photographer and video whiz Tom Franklin. 

Our goal is to put a human face on the Guard and chronicle this history-making deployment -- the largest deployment of NJ Guard soldiers since WW II.

On the road with the National Guard

I heading to Fort Indiantown Gap in Pennsylvania today for a look at how the New Jersey National Guard is training. I'll be back tomorrow.  As I reported last Sunday in the Record, the 3-week training by the 3,400-member Guard brigade combat team in Pennsylvania is the first step toward ultimate deployment to Iraq -- the largest deployment of New Jersey Guard soldiers since World War II.  I'll be traveling with photographer Tyson Trish.  Later this month, Staff Writer Justo Bautista will head to Pennsylvania to watch the Guard in action.  Stay tuned for our stories, photos and multimedia reports in The Record and on this web site.

Wait a minute, Mr. Postman !!!

My Sunday column about the bone-headed decision by the U.S. Postal Service to institute all sorts of legal rules to its 80-year-old "Operation Santa" gift-giving program for needy kids brought an interesting reply from a postal worker.  I'm attaching it below, with this question: What do you think the Postal Service should do?

You hit the nail on the head about the post office and their policies.  I work for them, and the longer I do, I realize that it's individuals who have the least to do, using situations as now (concern about terrorists/molesters), gives themselves job security.  They overcomplicate simple tasks, and jobs  become harder to perform and service to the public suffers.  For example there is a relatively new rule which tells us that any piece of mail over 13 oz. mailed out with stamps on it, (versus a meter postage or self printed postage), even if the customer is known by us, cannot be picked up at their home or business. They must instead go in person to the window, wait in line for it to be accepted by a clerk, who will ask the standard questions whether there's anything hazardous, perishable etc. about it.  Why the trouble?  Will the clerk determine what's in the package better than a mail carrier?  Why the 13 oz. threshold?  The corner mailboxes are being removed in many spots, for similar reasons (anti-terror), and because of decreased first class volume.  (On line billing/banking etc.).  Some customers are reluctant to leave outgoing letters in their own mailboxes for security reasons.  Others don't want to go all the way to the post office to mail them. 

The employees who accept, move and deliver the ever increasing loads to the public (despite management's claim that volume's down), are the backbone of the postal service.  The ones bringing it down are those in the position of keeping up with the competition by using their "creative" ideas that ultimately will bring growing customer dissatisfaction, and hopefully not it's own demise.

More on Jim Zadroga

I've been off for a few days.  When I returned today, I had quite a few emails about my Monday column on NYPD cop James Zadroga and his father, Joe, the former North Arlington police chief who is raising James' daughter because James died after working at Ground Zero and coming down with a terrible lung disease.  I'm attaching three emails here that show the range of emotions on this subject. What do you think?  By the way, I'm going to continue following this story.

Your column in today's Record brought me to tears.  I was hoping you would take up the cause, if you will, of this true hero.  As if it wasn't enough the Zadroga's lost their son.  Now they have to fight for his honor.  As sad as all the 911 stories were, this one has really touched me the deepest.  Mayor Bloomberg's cruel words made me loose all respect for him and his apology did not go far enough.  This man, James Zadroga, was strong and healthy until he spent 450 hours at Ground Zero, period.  It doesn't take a medical examiner to determine what killed him.  His name should be listed with the other 23 officers that were killed by the attack and Mayor Bloomberg should redeem himself by making this happen.

Shame on him and NYC for adding to the pain and suffering of the Zadrogas.

* * * * * _

Let's start with this: Mike Bloomberg generally comes off as a callous, calculating businessman who generally shows little emotion. To him, it's all dollars and cents and the human element takes a back seat. To me that's nothing new as I see it every day where I work. And the place is going to hell in a handbasket.

But I digress.

Now, is Jim Zadroga a hero?

From what I've read, he's a damned good cop and a decent guy. And, as a cop, you put your life on the line every day. But, at the risk of sounding callous like Bloomberg, it's not like he was Shanghaied into the job. He knew what being a

New York City

cop entailed. I respect him for that and I'm glad there are many more like him wearing the uniform.

A hero, to me, is someone who puts life and limb on the line without giving it a second thought.

Jim Zadroga didn't do that at Ground Zero.

Jim Zadroga and countless others were most likely lied to. Lied to probably by Christie Whitman, Rudy Giuliani and others as to how dangerous Ground Zero actually was. If Zadroga knew the truth as to how dangerous it was at World Trade, he certainly would have requested or acquired (bought it himself if he had to because his life should have been worth however much it cost) the appropriate breathing apparatus or it would have been supplied willingly to all who were working down there.

Instead, he went down there, did his job, and well, with his reward being something akin to his lungs spending a lifetime in a coal mine--or worse.

His death was needless. Though I'd hate to see anyone die before their time, a hero's death often times isn't. I do hope his young daughter is well-taken care of until at least young adulthood. But rather than calling Zadroga, and others heroes, why not take the people who did the lying or were otherwise unknowing and unprepared to do their jobs and string them up? Had those people done their jobs properly, Zadroga could have done his, and well--the way he always had--and would have lived to tell about it.

Sorry, Mike, but as good and decorated a cop as Zadroga was, he wasn't a hero. He didn't run into a burning building to rescue someone. He didn't defuse a hostage situation or any number of other things that might have qualified him as a hero. The difference between his living and dying was appropriate breathing apparatus. He died because he and others were lied to.

                                                            

                                                            ********

Here it is 6 years later and I am still reading articles about 911 that can bring me to tears. It is more than shameful the way the memory of Joe Zadroga is being treated, it is unconscionable.

Let me know if there is a petition being generated to establish his rightful hero status with NYC, I would be proud to sign it. His family is showing more class and honor than the mayor of

New York

, shame on you Bloomberg,and shame on

New York

's "finest" for not showing up to honor one who surely was one of your own.

Jim Zadroga, continued

Well, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg finally apologized to the Zadroga family of North Arlington. Here are several stories:  NY Times  // Associated Press // NY Daily News

It's about time the mayor came to his senses on this sensitive issue. But more still needs to be done to fix a terrible mistake and give James Zadroga the recognition he deserves.

Some background:  James Zadroga, a decorated New York City police detective, died in January 2006 from a painful lung disease.  His doctors believe Zadroga's lungs became damaged after he worked hundreds of hours at Ground Zero.  His father Joseph, the former police chief of North Arlington, has led a campaign since his son's death to convince New York City to honor James.  But New York has dragged its bureaucratic feet, first with an insulting decision to not give James a full-honor's funeral and then with the zany report recently by New York's Medical Examiner that claimed James died from taking too many drugs.  Meanwhile, Bloomberg chimed in last week and said James was NOT A HERO, even though no one doubts he labored at Ground Zero.

Now that Bloomberg has apologized, maybe he can kick some sense into his New York police officials and finally recognize James Zadroga's contributions.

More on Jim Zadroga

The abuse of Jim Zadroga gets even more bizarre.

In my Sunday column, Oct. 21, I chronicled the efforts of the Zadroga family of North Arlington to gain recognition for the hard work of their son, Jim Zadroga, at Ground Zero.

Jim Zadroga was a decorated New York City police detective who labored round-the-clock at Ground Zero after the 9/11 terrorist attacks -- and then developed a debilitating lung disease that eventually killed him. He was only 34.

Jim's father, retired North Arlington Police Chief Joseph Zadroga, has led a campaign on both sides of the Hudson River to have his son declared a victim of the 9/11 attacks.  But New York City officials have dragged their feet. And now New York has kicked the Zadroga family in the gut. First the city's medical examiner charged that Zadroga died from wrongly taking prescripton drugs. Then, this week, than Mayor Michael Bloomberg questioned whether Zadroga should be considered a hero. 

What's so sad about this whole story is that no one doubts that Jim Zadroga worked at Ground Zero. And no one doubts that his lungs went bad after working so long at Ground Zero.

Two medical experts say Zadroga died from inhaling too much toxic material at Ground Zero.  New York's medical examiner disagrees.  And now the mayor has opened his mouth.

This story needs a reasonable voice.  When will it find one?

Here is a link to the latest news:   Download is_dead_new_york_city_cop_a_hero.doc

Jim Zadroga, cont.

The reports of how NYPD Detective Jim Zadroga died are getting more bizarre.  Zadroga, who grew up in North Arlington and was the subject of my Sunday column, is widely believed to have died after breathing toxic air at Ground Zero.  Then, the NY Medical examiner cast doubt on that theory -- but never explained his doubts, at least not immediately.  Today, the medical examiner outlined his theory of how Zadroga died, and, frankly, it's bizarre.  You don't need to be a doctor to have doubts about what the medical examiner is now saying, especially now that a former medical examiner is claiming that Zadroga did, indeed, die of exposure to toxins at Ground Zero.  Read the full story below, then let me know what you think:

ME Claims 9/11 Cop Died From Drug Misuse

NEW YORK, Oct. 25, 2007

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(CBS/AP) By CBSNews.com's Stephen Smith

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New York City's medical examiner ruled that a retired detective died last year from misusing drugs - not from toiling for 420 hours in the ruins of the World Trade Center, the cop's family revealed Thursday.

Despite Charles Hirsch's ruling, the city's former medical examiner, Michael Baden, is disputing the claim and said that 34-year-old James Zadroga's death was indeed linked to his exposure to the toxic debris at ground zero.

"There's no evidence of any drug addiction," Dr. Baden said, who added that all the evidence supports that Zadroga "died of chronic lung disease caused by the inhalation of dust" at the ground zero site.

Zadroga's parents, Joseph and Linda Zadroga, had given their son's autopsy report to Hirsch in a bid to have their son's name added to the official list of Sept. 11 victims. When Hirsch ruled Zadroga's death was unrelated to 9/11, they enlisted Baden for a second opinion.

Baden spoke Thursday at an interview conducted at the Manhattan office of Michael Barasch, the lawyer for Zadroga's parents. A producer from CBSNews.com and reporter from the Associated Press attended the session.

Last week, Hirsch wrote a letter to Zadroga's parents stating "with certainty beyond doubt, that the foreign material in your son's lungs did not get there from the result of inhaling dust at the World Trade Center or elsewhere."

In a private meeting, Hirsch later told the family he believed Zadroga died of drug misuse - most likely by grinding up his medication and injecting it intravenously. There was no claim of any illegal drug abuse. Zadroga was taking 14 medications, including two intravenously, at the time of his death, but all were administered by family, according to his father.

Later Thursday, Hirsch's office confirmed Zadroga got the lung disease that killed him by injecting ground-up pills, the coroner's spokeswoman confirmed.

Hirsch apparently cited the talc and cellulose present in Zadroga's lungs as evidence of such misuse.

But Baden, who reviewed Zadroga's tissue slides, autopsy report and medical records, dismissed this claim.

"Talc and cellulose are ubiquitous," he said, noting such materials could have come from furniture at the World Trade Center. He also said there was no evidence of the scarring that would have accompanied repeated injections.

Zadroga has emerged as a symbol for the plight of thousands of ground zero workers whose health rapidly deteriorated after their long days toiling in the rubble at ground zero. Zadroga spent more than 400 hours sifting through the smoldering ruins, and by the first anniversary of the attack was plagued by a constant cough.

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Read the story of NYPD Detective James Zadroga.

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Hirsch reviewed Zadroga's tissue slides and autopsy report, but not all of the detective's medical records, which Dr. Baden said can render an incomplete picture.

"Autopsies can't be done in a vacuum," he said.

Baden said the lack of scars or needle tracks - and Zadroga's clean bill of health prior to Sept. 11 2001 - further undermine Hirsch's ruling. But Hirsch maintains that the foreign matter in the cop's lungs "entered his body via the bloodstream and not via the airways,'' his spokeswoman told the AP.

"I suspect that there may not be a 100 percent definitive answer here," said Dr. Stephen D. Cohle, chief medical examiner of Kent County (Grand Rapids) Michigan.

Cohle, who knows both Dr. Hirsch and Dr. Baden but is not involved in this case, said that foreign materials that are mixed with injected drugs display a very specific appearance - and likely wouldn't be mistaken by someone as experienced as Hirsch. However, Cohle noted that it's unusual for chronic IV abuse to cause fatal lung disease.

Cohle also said Zadroga's heart condition can offer clues. According to the autopsy report, the right side of Zadroga's heart had swelled to twice its normal size - a condition known as right ventricular enlargement.

"Right ventricular enlargement is much more common with exposure to dusts and other occupational exposure," Cohle said.

Earlier this year, Hirsch ruled that an attorney who died of a lung disease after being caught in the World Trade Center collapse could be added to the victims list - the first time a person who died from a 9/11-linked illness was included in the official tally.

Baden said he supported a New Jersey medical examiner's ruling that Zadroga's death was "directly related" to his work at the World Trade Center site. Dr. Gerard Breton, who performed the autopsy, found that Zadroga died in January 2006 of respiratory failure caused by panlobar granulomatous pneumonitis (history of exposure to toxic fumes and dusts).

The autopsy results were the first scientific evidence blaming a death directly on ground zero exposure. Lawmakers and health advocates regularly cite his case as a key example of post-Sept. 11 illnesses when lobbying for billions of dollars to fund research and continuing care.

Joseph Zadroga has become a prominent advocate for sick ground zero workers, and he broke down in tears last year before a congressional panel convened to study Sept. 11 health.