Newark Man's Death in Afghanistan in Top State News

A National Guard officer from Newark, who military officials say exemplified public service,  in Paktika Province, Afghanistan, after insurgents apparently detonated an improvised explosive device. Staff Sgt. Jorge Oliveira, 33, was on his third tour of duty with the New Jersey Army National Guard when he was attacked and killed, according to a spokesman for the state's National Guard. When not in fatigues, Oliveira worked as an Essex County Sherriff's Officer.

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Groups representing minorities in New Jersey have appealed to Gov. Chris Christie to make the state Supreme Court more diverse. [Associated Press via Asbury Park Press]

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A New Brunswick woman  with culinary greatness when she was a featured guest on "Emeril's Table," a new television cooking show starring the famed New Orleans chef Emeril Lagasse. Bola Fadipe, 24, is a nurse with Chestnut Hill Convalescent Center in Passaic and a field nurse for a pediatric home care agency. She also works as an undergraduate teaching assistant with the Rutgers College of Nursing, where she earned a bachelor of science degree in nursing and public health.

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Ira Kaplan, the guitarist of Hoboken-based band Yo La Tengo,  and addressed the council. Kaplan was there as a tenant, in support of the Neumann Leather building. The building, filled with studio space that was rented by artists, was unanimously deemed "an area in need of rehabilitation" by the City Council on Wednesday night.

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A Newark man has been  of Michael Conway, according to a Freehold Township Police Department arrest warrant. Richard Busby, 54, was taken to Monmouth County Correctional Institution on $1.5 million bail, initial court appearance documents by the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office indicate. Conway was found dead in his Freehold home after Freehold Township police and firefighters from Freehold Township Independent Fire Co. #1 responded to an emergency call reporting a fire at the residence.

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Just two years ago, Andy Walters was rehabbing a knee replacement and getting back to work—a 32-year employee of West Depftord's water and sewer department, he was on his feet all the time, hitting the streets to read water meters all over the township. But the knee replacement and the pain of arthritis were taking their toll, and he watched himself gain about 40 pounds during his recovery, exacerbating some of the problems the knee replacement aimed to solve. Finally, amid the ice and snow this past winter, Walters, brought to tears from pain while reading meters, decided that was it: He was putting in for retirement and starting on a plan to .

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Speakers at an economic development forum said Wednesday that the pillars for broadening Atlantic County's economic base are aviation, healthcare and higher education. But one speaker, Larry Williams, a former Federal Aviation Administration William J. Hughes Technical Center director, said during the forum—and elaborated through comments afterward—that delays in building the first NextGen Aviation and Research Park building in Egg Harbor Township have  toward capitalizing on aviation research in the region. Not a single tenant has been signed for the research park, according to its executive director, Ronald J. Esposito.

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Searching for new sources of revenue in Roselle, council members voted Wednesday to explore the sale of borough hall to a pair of developers who would demolish the 34-year-old building and put a restaurant in its place. [NJ.com]

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Stephen Scharf was sentenced to life in prison Friday for pushing his wife off a cliff 19 years ago in Englewood Cliffs. [NorthJersey.com]

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Formula One, the richest and most popular form of international motorsport, is coming to New Jersey in 2013. [Wall Street Journal]