Alleged Serial Bank Robber Nabbed, City OK's Budget Reducing Taxes

The driver of a van that was reportedly traveling in the wrong lane was killed after a head-on collision with a NJ Transit bus in the East Ward. Several bus passengers were treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

A city man was charged with committing a series of bank robberies throughout the region. His girlfriend, also a Newark resident, assisted him in at least two of the heists, officials said.

Assemblyman Albert Coutinho, who for five years represented a district that includes the Ironbound, abruptly resigned his office shortly before admitting he stole funds from a charitable foundation run by his family. Coutinho, who struck a deal with the state attorney general that will likely spare him prison time, was replaced by a Newark Schools Advisory Board member.

The Newark Municipal Council approved a budget that calls for the first decrease in property taxes since Mayor Cory Booker took office seven years ago. The budget also provides funds for 50 additional police.