Atlantic City Water
The fate of Atlantic City’s water authority is still unclear and Councilman Kaleem Shabazz is trying to revive talks with Atlantic County about possibly buying or leasing the water system, Christian Hetrick reported for The Press of Atlantic City yesterday. Under the state takeover law, the city has until the end of the month to “maximize the value” of the Municipal Utilities Authority. Separately, if you want a behind-the-scenes look at Atlantic City politics, read this Insider NJ piece on the mayoral race.
Tim McGlynn
Mays Landing in yesterday’s fog, via @timmcglynn on Instagram.
Dead Deer
NJ.com has this listicle on the 13 worst counties in New Jersey for dead deer problems – you might be surprised to see the South Jersey counties that feature. Also, fun fact, did you know that deer carcass removal is pretty expensive? When dead deer have to be picked up from municipalities’ roads, the costs fall on the local government. Hamilton Township pays $180 a pop for deer removal and it’s a busy season (only somewhat related, but Hamilton Township deserves an award for being the most transparent in Atlantic County in terms of public documents and letting residents know where their tax money goes. If you’re interested, we might think about doing some transparency awards at the end of the year – get in touch with us.)
Minimum Wage
Several New Jersey lawmakers are among those trying to revive attempts in Washington, D.C. to raise the minimum wage from $7.25 an hour. None of them are from South Jersey, although at the state end of things a spokesman for Senate President Sweeney said he expects the next (Dem) governor to raise the minimum wage as one of their first acts. NJ Spotlight has the details.
In the rest of the headlines from the last 24 hours, credit ratings agency S&P has a warning for Gov. Christie on his plans to use Horizon’s cash for state purposes, Democratic candidates for Atlantic City mayor will debate tonight, Christie has problems with the puppy-mill bill, and Alec Baldwin will appear at a South Jersey democratic fundraiser. All that and more below:
New Head Start Center to Open in Atlantic City–Two years after breaking ground, a new Atlantic City Head Start Early Education Center will be formally unveiled at a 10 am ribbon-cutting ceremony May 23 at the site at 1433 Bacharach Blvd. The $22 million center, which will be run by Gateway Community Action Partnership of Bridgeton, was built with Hurricane Sandy relief funds to replace centers damaged in the storm. Press of Atlantic City
Grant Money To Help Camden Nonprofit Improve Neighborhoods–M&T Bank is investing $1 million in nonprofits throughout New Jersey through the Neighborhood Revitalization Tax Credit program. They will also work with the New Jersey Tree Foundation to plant more trees in the park and build ten houses on a lot in East Camden. www.snjtoday.com
Cumberland County to Train Addiction Peer Recovery Specialists–A peer support program is coming to Cumberland County to help people seeking long-term recovery from addiction to drugs or alcohol. Compassionate Addiction Recovery Equals Success, or CARES, is recruiting and training peer recovery specialists, who have had their own experiences with addiction, to mentor, support and guide others working to achieve sobriety. Press of Atlantic City
Edit”]New Jersey crime rate down 5 percent, says AG–Attorney general said 43 percent rise in reported rape cases is due to change in definition by FBI. North Jersey
More than $100M in taxpayer money spent on public worker lawsuits each year–NJ taxpayers pay out more than $100 million a year to resolve public worker lawsuits. NJ.com
Forget decriminalization. Time to legalize weed | Editorial–For years, many thought decriminalization was the best we could do. No longer. NJ.com