The Record from Hackensack, New Jersey • 3

FRIDAY. AUGUST 24. 2001 2P THE RECORD L-3 MRTTH JSCS A taste of space, a taste of college Paterson plans theme academy for ninth-graders featuring NASA curriculum that the college already works with the schools providing courses for college credit online. "By exposing them to a college campus early in their education careers, hopefully it will demystify college and make college something they are not afraid to attend," he said. District officials said PANTHER is one of 10 theme-oriented academies that will be run by the district this school year.

Seven academies focusing on topics from music to transportation are already open. Three more will open this fall, including PANTHER and an international high school located on a temporary site. John Sico, co-principaldirector of the PANTHER Academy, said many of the students were chosen based on their desire to follow a math or science career. To he eligible, they had to put in extra class time last year on Saturdays and spend time this summer in math, science, and computer classes. "We're trying to pniduce engineers," Sico said.

There is a shortage of scientists and mathematicians in this country. We're hoping to turn people on at early age to these careers. "Who knows? Maybe these students could be the next NASA scientist," he said. Sico said the opportunity to take advanced chemistry, physics, and math courses will be unique to this group of students in the urban district. Part of the funding will be pro vided by a tnree-year, grant from NASA and an undetermined amount of district funding.

"I wu.h they had this when I as a kid," Sico said. "I would be the first to sign up for it. The opportunity these students are being offered is a chance of lifetime. We expect everyone to pass the state-mandated test on the first try. to get SAT scores that are at least 1.000 and to go to college." Students will eventually be housed in a permanent site across from the PCCC campus in Paterson on Memorial Drive.

They will attend classes in a newly renovated building but continue using PCCCs cafeteria and auditorium as well as the science and computer labs. Until then, though, they will have the full run of the PCCC campus in Wanaque. Sico said the district will pay nothing to use the PCCC space but that the students bused there will gain a bit. "They will be in a strict academic environment," Sico said. "PCCC offers a dynamic education to the students.

1 think the academic atmosphere is half the battle. If everyone around you is striving to maintain A's and B's, it gives you the extra push to make A's and B's. "We're hoping when these students are seniors, they will be able to take at least three courses at PCCC for college credit once they have fulfilled their 125 credits," he said. Staff Writer Michael Casey's e-mail address is caseynorthjersey.com By MICHAEL CASEY Slafl Writer PATERSON The city school district plans to open a theme academy in conjunction with NASA this fall, featuring a curriculum designed by the space agency and a trip to its space camp next summer. As a bonus, the 83 ninth-graders attending the Paterson and NASA Together for High Expectations and Results (PANTHER) program will get a taste of college life.

They will be schooled the first half of the year at a temporary site at Passaic County Community College's upcounty campus in Wanaque. "One of the most important things is to ensure that all students get a post-secondary education," said PCCC President Steven Rose, adding la if HK. Passaic Morris briefs Schools double reward for non-resident tips CLIFTON' Continuing its effort to guard against out-of-town children illegally enrolling in city schools, the school district will briefly double its reward for tips about non-resident students. Previously, school officials have paid 100 for information that resulted in the removal of illegal students. For the entire month of September as the crowded system deals with the primary registration period for new students, that amount will be doubled to $200.

"The enrollment of students into our schools who do not legally reside in Clifton is an unfair burden to taxpayers, said Superintendent William C. Liess. TARA KANE Wild horses available to the highest bidders The public has an opportunity to bid on nearly 40 wild horses up for adoption this weekend. On Saturday, nearly 40 wild horses and burros rounded up on Nevada's ranges will be up for auction at 9 a.m. at the Sussex County Fairgrounds in Augusta, off Route 206.

A preview day was to be held today from 1 to 6 p.m. The event will be overseen by the federal Bureau of Land Management as part of the government's mandate to protect wild horses and burros. Since 1973, the bureau has found homes for more than 170,000 wild animals that otherwise might have perished. Bidding will begin at $125 to cover veterinarian care, transportation, and other program fees. Eligible bidders must have 6-foot-high sturdy corrals and proper transportation for the animal.

The specific requirements can be obtained by calling (866) 4-MUSTANGS. TARA KANE 4, J. Jy V. -3- WARREN GOLDBERGSPECIAL TO THE RECORD Firefighters dousing the charred remains of an unoccupied home in Franklin Lakes. The blaze is under investigation.

Fire engulfs unfinished home AROUND THE REGION Woman, alerted by dog, flees Ringwood house fire RINGWOOD A sleeping woman whose house was on fire escaped harm when she was roused by her dog's barking, police said. Police and firefighters responded to a 1:20 a.m. Thursday call from Kathryn Weber that her James Drive residence was full of smoke. Weber, 43, was woken by her dog. "If that dog didn't bark she would have lx-en in big trouble," Capt.

Bernard Lombardo said. "The fire was underneath herbedroom. If it burned for a half-hour more, it would have burned through the floor." Weber is staying at a friend's house because the fire caused extensive structural damage to her home. She lives with her two adult children, neither of whom was at home. After an initial investigation, police said cause of the fire, which started in the laundry room, was probably electrical.

TARA KANE Cops seek to identify man fatally struck on Route 80 RLMWOOD PARK State police on Thursday were trying to identify a man who was struck and killed while crossing Route 80 westbound Wednesday night. The victim was hit by two cars shortly before 10 p.m. and pronounced dead at the scene, state police Sgt. Al Delia Fave said. His fingerprints have been sent to the state Medical Examiner's Office.

The victim was first hit by a Toyota driven by Rosenda River, 32, of Wayne, Delia Fave said. Knocked to the ground, the victim was then hit by a Mercedes-Benz driven by Russell Colford, 30, of Ridgewood. Both drivers pulled over after striking the victim, Delia Fave said. JUSTO BAUTISTA Police seeking suspect in robbery at restaurant CLIFTON Police on Thursday were seeking the identity of a man who they said mugged a Fair Lawn woman after she had come out of a restaurant Wednesday evening. The robber hit the 52-year-old victim on he head with a blunt object and knocked her to the ground in front of Alexis Steakhouse on Valley Road at 7:06 p.m., police said.

They snid he took her purse, which contained credit cards and an undetermined amount of cash, and fled in a gray midsize Ford or Mercury vehicle. A witness told police that the victim was leaving the restaurant after eating dinner and was waiting on the front steps for another party to pick her up. 1 Police said the incident was unusual, given the setting. The unidentified woman was treated at St. Joseph's Regional Medical Center for a head injury.

The assailant was described as a white male, about 40 years old, with brown hair, cleanshaven, 6 feet tall," and about 200 pounds. Anyone with information should call detectives nt (973) 470-5908. TARA KANE Woman trying to collect debts faces forgery charge A Rutherford woman misrepre- 1 sented herself as an attorney in an effort to get two people who owed her'; money to pay up, the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office said Thursday. Jeanne Lee, 48, of Woodland Avenue was charged with two counts of uttering a forged instrument and re leased on a summons Thursday, authorities said. Lee created letterhead with the names of two attorneys, then senHhe victims letters threatening legal ac-tion if they did not payback her money, said police Lt.

Barbara Kohl. County prosecutors said they didn't know whether others had ceived such letters demanding that payment be made to Jeanne Ie. LESLIE KOREN By LESLIE K0REN Staff Writer FRANKLIN LAKES The yellow backhoe whacked the tarred roof Thursday afternoon and a cascade of burnt materials came crashing down. A fire had begun at the nearly completed multimillion-dollar home more than 12 hours earlier, but pockets of the house were still smoldering. As the charred remains hit the ground, a firefighter continued to douse them with water.

A neighbor of the unoccupied Saddle Back Trail home, reported the blaze about 1:45 a.m. Thursday. When firefighters arrived, the house i bat "The whole neighborhood was out everybody just standing here, just shocked," said Christopoul. "It was just awful." The Tsa rises could not be reached for comment late Thursday. "It was gorgeous," Christopoul said.

"They had just done the wood floors. The kitchen had black granite countertops. The liHpry had gorgeous cherry paneling. "I feel bad for the people who did all the work," she said. "Now they come back and see it all destroyed." Staff Writer Leslie Koren's e-mail address is korennorthjersey.com "Increasing the penalties would be terrific," Auslander said.

"But the park must be made more user-friendly to bring families back." For instance, signs directing people to the 30-acre park are barely noticeable, and an entrance behind a Path-mark supermarket is littered with broken bottles and condoms, he said. Police believe the Hackensack park became a popular cruising location for gay men looking for sex after it was listed at a Web site last year as one of the top cruising spots in New Jersey. However, the increased police presence in the Hackensack park is beginning to get noticed, some recent entries on the site suggest. "Never been but the cops are casing the park," an Aug. 17 entry says.

A Wednesday entry states: "Was there yesterday and not a single guy was present." Zisa's proposal was criticized by a leader of the gay community, who said it would be used to target gay men. "The lewdness statute is always used to go after gay men," said Andrew Dick, former president of the Cay Activists Alliance of Morris County, the largest gay organization in New Jersey. "You'd never see a sting operation set up to catch straight jeople having sex." Zisa countered that his proposed legislation is not intended to target the gay community. "This is not about gay sexual activity," he said. "This is alMiut targeting all open and public sexual activity." was fully engulfed, authorities said.

"It was just a wall of red," said Christine Christopoul, who lives next door. "It was up to the sky." She said she and her family were awakened by a teenager from across the street who had seen the flames from his bedroom. It took a couple hours to get the blaze under control, said Fire Chief Larry Kohn. Firefighters from Wyck-off, Oakland, North Haledon, Midland Park, and Waldwick assisted, he said. The Bergen County Prosecutor's Arson Squad was investigating the cause of the fire, said Assistant Ber wiW!" 2 'It 'A gen County Prosecutor Mike Maher.

He declined to say whether investigators found anything suspicious. The $2.7 million house was under contract, but Maher would not say who was building it or who had agreed to purchase it. However, Christopoul, who attends the same church as the builder, identified him as George Tsaris. He and his wife had been building the wood and stone structure for nearly a year, she said. Christopoul said she called the couple and they watched tearfully as the house burned.

I clean the park out. We patrol it on a regular basis," Schmidig said. "We just don't advertise every time we do. "But he's running for office. He wants to be sheriff," Schmidig said.

"Because he wears both hats, he can use his position as chief of police to make the arrests and then have the authority to introduce legislation." Teaneck attorney Jay Auslander, who wrote a letter to police about the lewd behavior he observed in the park, said he supports stricter penalties. Still, he said, changing the law might not be enough to reclaim the park in Hackensack. Tougher penalty urged for public lewdness m-p 1 Passaic may go to midnight trash pickup By TARA KANE Staff Writer PASSAIC Trash in the business district will not be left on the streets overnight if the City Council approves a $23,000 plan to change the pickup times. On Thursday, Mayor Samuel Rivera held a news conference to announce the latest component of his "Cleaner Streets" campaign. His proposal is to collect garbage earlier, attempting to eliminate the problems due to trash left out overnight.

"When I took office, I made a commitment to clean the city," Rivera said. "We found out that the main problem is the garbage pickup." Because many businesses close before 8 p.m., trash is often left on the street for 10 to 12 hours until it is collected in the morning. However, that period of time has been problematic for years. Rivera said some people dig through the trash at night, knocking the cans over, and on a windy day, debris will cover the streets. The plan is to reduce the length of time garbage is left out by collecting it at midnight.

The streets that comprise the city's business district include Main Avenue, Passaic Street, Monroe Street, Market Street, and Lexington Avenue. Trash in that area is' currently picked up between 5:30 and 6:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. For the last two years, the city has contracted Waste Management, a removal service based in Hillsdale. Currently, the annual fee is $1.04 million.

However, the company will charge $23,000 in addition to their annual fee to change the removal time to midnight. A spokesman for Waste Management said the extra money would cover the additional personnel that would be needed, including mechanics. The company also provides midnight removal service for Edgewater. Rivera said because the program is aimed at improving the business district, the money will come from federal funds as part of the Urban Enterprise Zone program. The proposal will be introduced as an addendum to the city's garbage ordinance at the next council meeting on Sept.

6. If approved that month, Rivera said the new pickup time could lie implemented by Oct. 15. Business owners would le notified by mail. Staff Writer Tara Kane's e-mail address Is kanenorthjersey.com Proposal follows crackdown at park By PETER P0CHNA Staff Writer People having sex in public will face harsher penalties if state legislators adopt a proposal that Assemblyman and Hackensack Police Chief Charles "Ken" Zisa announced Thursday.

Zisa said he will propose upgrading lewdness to a fourth-degree crime penalized by up to 18 months in jail and a fine of up to $10,000. Lewdness now is a disorderly persons offense punishable by up to six months in jail and a fine of up to $1,000. Under Zisa's plan, the penalty would apply only to lewd acts committed near a park, school, playground, or school bus. His pitch comes a week after an undercover city police officer made 15 lewdness arrests in Hackensack River County Park in a mere five hours. Most of the arrests were of men who dropped their pants and sought to engage in sexual activity, police said.

These followed similar sweeps by Bergen County police, who have jurisdiction over the park, which is behind Riverside Square mall on Route 4. "I hope this sends a strong message, and that we can reclaim parks like this for children and families throughout New Jersey," said Zisa, a Democrat who is running for county sheriff in November's election against DANIELLE P. RICHARDSSTAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Assemblyman and Hackensack Police Chief Charles "Ken" Zisa announcing a proposal to upgrade the seriousness of public lewdness offenses. Zisa Is the Democratic candidate for Bergen County sheriff. Republican Joel Trella, a former chief of the Bergen County Police.

Zisa said lewdness offenders typically receive only a small fine. "Certainly, that is not a disincentive," he said. County police increased patrols in the park this summer after receiving complaints from parents who said they were afraid to take their children there. Those patrols are continuing, said Bergen County Police Chief Jack Schmidig, who called Zisa's proposal "political grandstanding." "We have a concerted effort to.