A Trump Museum
A Stockton University professor and a tour operator are collecting Trump artifacts and hoping to open a museum in Atlantic City all about the soon-to-be President Trump. On the one hand, it’s something that would potentially draw visitors, provide employment and it’s not a casino… On the other hand, it’s a museum to someone who prompts mixed – but usually strong – emotions around here. What do you think? The Press of Atlantic City has the story.
Did The Earth Move For You?
There was a lot of buzz yesterday about an earthquake… apart from according to the experts as the U.S. Geological Service, it wasn’t an earthquake. It isn’t the first time people in this part of South Jersey have felt the ground move – earlier this year it turned out to be sonic booms.
Tax Deals
SNJ Today reports on a shindig in Camden to celebrate Governor Christie’s plans to scrap his scrapping of the New Jersey-Pennsylvania tax agreement. And there was a lot of national news yesterday too about tax deals for corporations. They are different kind of tax agreements, to be sure, but it is hard from this perspective in Atlantic County not to think that this is one geographical area that illustrates how and why tax deals for businesses (like casinos) just wind up backfiring on local government when the tax rate eventually has to rise.
Narcan in Schools
Following up on a few articles yesterday on the opioid epidemic, The Philly Voice has this one about how Ocean County high school nurses will now have access to the overdose antidote Narcan.
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The full list of local headlines, including news on the back-bay flood defense plan and an interactive map of segregation in New Jersey, are below:
Court Blocks Christie’s Bid to Curb Competitive Testing for Civil Service Jobs–Gov. Chris Christie rose to national prominence in the Republican Party by picking fights with public employees and their unions in New Jersey, but yesterday he suffered a major setback on that front as a state appeals court reversed his administration’s attempt to weaken state civil-service protections. The unanimous decision released by the Superior Court’s Appellate Division effectively vacates a 2014 rule adopted by the state’s Civil Service Commission that sought to make it easier for department heads to promote state employees by putting them in similar “job bands” instead of using competitive testing, which has been a hallmark of the civil-service system in New Jersey. www.njspotlight.com
Back Bay Flood-Defense Plan Will Take Time, Federal Official Says–A U.S. official told residents of New Jersey’s back bay communities on Thursday that it will be three years or longer before federal and state authorities finalize a wide-ranging plan to defend the bays from Sandy-like flooding, and some years after that until the plan is executed. J.B. Smith, a project manager for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, told the first public meeting on the back bays project that it will take time to gather input from state and local officials, nonprofits and residents on ways of making the low-lying communities resilient to sea-level rise and the bigger storms that are expected to come with climate change. www.njspotlight.com
Interactive Map: Segregation Continues to Be NJ’s State of the State–New Jersey is one of the most racially and ethnically diverse states in the country — but it is also one of the most segregated. The reasons are complicated - former redlining of communities that haven’t changed their demographics since the middle of the 20th century; pockets of wealthy white families settling in the same tony communities; and a state housing policy that despite judicial intervention has stagnated and done little to address the issue. www.njspotlight.com
South Jersey Business Leaders Thank Legislators for Tax Reciprocity–South Jersey business leaders gathered together Thursday at the site of Campbell Soup Company's world headquarters in Camden to thank state lawmakers and celebrate the restoration of the tax reciprocity agreement with Pennsylvania. Camden was expected to be hit especially hard when Governor Chris Christie announced he was ending the income tax agreement that allowed state residents to pay just New Jersey income taxes while working in Pennsylvania and vice versa. www.snjtoday.com
M&T Bank Awards $15,000 Grant to Saint Joseph’s Carpenter Society of Camden–Businesses have been doing more than just building in Camden, they are investing in the city\'s future as well. On Thursday, M&T Bank presented the Saint Joseph's Carpenter Society of Camden with a $15,000 grant. www.snjtoday.com
Man Indicted On Murder Charge In Killing At The Walk In Atlantic City–A Somers Point man was indicted on murder charges Wednesday in connection to the killing of a man back in September inside a store at “The Walk” in Atlantic City. The Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office says Luis A. Maisonet, 55, of Somers Point, opened fire on Christopher Romero, 26, of Absecon, on September 1 inside the Zumiez store. philadelphia.cbslocal.com
Here’s What 5 Potential NJ Governors Think Of The Atlantic City Takeover–Gov. Chris Christie's administration finally has control of the city’s finances for as many as five years after a long battle with city officials. But a few candidates for governor are against the takeover, possibly giving Christie’s designee, Jeff Chiesa, until January 2018 to make decisions on behalf of the city. Press of Atlantic City