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Projects in South Jersey got a disproportionate chunk of the money awarded under tax incentive programs that are now under scrutiny by lawmakers and the state comptroller.
The eight South Jersey counties, which account for a little more than a quarter of the state’s population, received almost $2 billion and some of the single biggest incentives from $4.8 billion awarded over the last five years, according to a Route 40 analysis of two New Jersey Economic Development Authority programs.
The infamous Fox Manor Hotel is for sale, according to the big sign we saw on the side of the building while driving down Pacific Avenue the other day.
The owner of the Atlantic Club, one of Atlantic City’s oldest shut casinos, has agreed to sell the property to a businessman with ties to the city.
Property documents filed with the county in January show that TJM, the Florida-based Atlantic Club owner, reached an agreement to sell the property to Jeffrey Smolinsky and his company, North American Acquisitions.
Dr. Alan Faustino, who pled guilty and was sentenced to four years for running an opioid ring out of his doctor’s office, has been released from prison after serving less than seven months, the tireless Lynda Cohen reports.
Avalon Zoppo at the Press has another cool story, this one about the illegal trade in terrapin turtles from South Jersey marshes.
The turtles are caught and sold as pets, or smuggled out of the country where they’re served in restaurants that are into that kind of thing.
The state paid out $119 million last year in lawsuits and judgement, up 68% from the year prior, S.P. Sullivan reports. You can read some of the big payouts here.
The Hispanic Alliance of Atlantic County is calling on residents to come to the next Atlantic City council meeting on Feb. 20 to support Hispanic officers as the police department prepares for a round of promotions.
The Press has a nice story on the Seeds of Hope Development Corp., which got planning approval to build five tiny homes on two vacant lots behind the PAL building on New York Avenue, which could provide an innovative solution to the problem of affordable housing.
Everybody reports on the death of Demond Tally, who was shot early Sunday morning after leaving Council President Marty Small’s house, per Lynda Cohen’s story.
Tally played football at EHT High School in the 90s and coached the Atlantic City Dolphins. His son was murdered outside the Hamilton Mall on Black Friday in 2016.
Brian Donohue from News 12 went to Bound Brook to interview undocumented immigrants who worked at Trump National, because every undocumented immigrant, working in the U.S. illegally, works for some business-owner who illegally hired them, in this case the president, who has taken a more one-sided view of this crime in public.
Croda, the company behind the chemical leak that closed the Delaware Memorial Bridge Thanksgiving week, apologized and said it would pay cleanup costs, Chris Franklin at NJ.com reports.
The board of directors of Gannett, which owns a bunch of New Jersey newspapers including the Courier-Post and Asbury Park Press, rejected a takeover bid from that company backed by that hedge fund guy, Heath or something, who went to Duke, which is big news and all but let’s face it, ladies, who among us hasn’t received an unsolicited offer from some guy named Heath who went to Duke and runs a hedge fund?
Elsewhere in Casinos, Hard Rock President Joe Lupo opined the other day on the radio about CRDA and the giving of the $1.4 millions to Live Nation (sorry LIVE NATION) to bring Blink-182 to the beach this summer.
I don’t know much about Blink-182 except they were in that Fyre Festival documentary everyone’s talking about. Along with that Diplo fella, who was also in Atlantic City last month. So we have that going for us, which is nice.
The New Jersey Rate Counsel said PSE&G and Exelon overstated their costs and understated revenues and should not get $300 million in subsidies, which you might remember was a big fight last year.
Good morning Route 40 Roundupers! Hope you’re enjoying the balmy weather. I wore my 900-octane down midlayer what I purchased at the Columbia outlet at The Walk at a steep, steep discount to drop the kids off this a.m. and it kept me toasty. I realize the cold is no joke, particularly with so many people sleeping rough–or semi-rough–but hey we try to keep morale up around here. In realer news, homicides were down 12% last year statewide!
Good morning Route 40! Sorry no roundup yesterday. I know you missed us. I got up and watched Chris Christie on Morning Joe or whatever it’s called and wrote 3,000 words with smoke coming out of my ears about our sick, sick political culture. Then I walked down to the beach and screamed at the waves like King Canute or something.
Fire Dept I + II
Ventnor city council introduced a bond ordinance for $3.3 million to replace the fire house on Wellington Ave., which no longer meets FEMA standards and has “outlived its usefulness,” according to this story from Nanette LoBiondo. Chief Cahill said he’s leading tours of the facility to show any doubters the place is indeed a wreck. He seemed serious. Elsewhere in Fires, Lynda Cohen reports that ACFD dealt with two suspected arsons on Saturday afternoon, within a half hour of one another. Both were vacant homes.
Katie Sobko and Kristie Cattafi of the North Jersey Record have a delightful story on the money towns spend in Atlantic City at the New Jersey League of Municipalities conference every year–$30 for an omelet, for instance. A meal for one councilman cost $1,063. Meanwhile, vendors, who are also trying to get your towns to give them your money and presumably have a decent success rate, host cocktail parties and cigar nights and happy hours, etc.