Atlantic County Cuts Outpatient Rehab Services, Ups Spending On Halfway Houses

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Atlantic County will next year slash its spending on individual and group counseling for people in outpatient drug and alcohol detox programs but increase its spending on halfway houses, according to a new request for proposals. The county, which spends more than half a million dollars on alcohol and drug abuse treatment each year, has money set aside from the New Jersey Division of Addiction Services and the Atlantic County Division of Public Health. The total funding for drug and alcohol abuse services will be $560,756 in 2017, up slightly from $547,984 this year. The bulk of that money will be spent on providing short-term residential and inpatient detoxification services, according to the RFP. Spending on halfway house services will rise to $40,000 in 2017 from $30,000 this year, while spending on outpatient counseling will slip to $12,000 from $25,500 this year.

More about: Opium Wars, Watchdog Journalism, opioid epidemic

Teachers’ Union Spent Thousands Fighting AC School Vouchers

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The NJEA spent big to end questions over school vouchers for private education in Atlantic City. But the movement seems to be spreading in South Jersey. New Jersey’s teachers’ union spent more than $115,000 this election period to oppose a public question, according to filings with the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission (ELEC). The money was funneled through a campaign finance cash-pile set up just weeks before the election and dubbed the NJEA November School Elections Committee, the filings show. About half of that money was used to fight a non-binding question posed on Atlantic City’s ballot that would have introduced school vouchers of $10,000 for private education.

More about: Watchdog Journalism

AC Water Rates Rise, Trump’s Son-In-Law Sits On Inlet Property – Tuesday’s Roundup

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Water Rates Rise
Atlantic City’s Municipal Utilities Authority has raised rates 10 percent to $50 a quarter (they’re still the lowest in the area). The rate rise was needed, the board said, to cover a budget shortfall after one of the authority’s biggest customers stopped buying its water. Who was that big customer? New Jersey American Water, whose lobbyist is Philip Norcross, brother to South Jersey power broker George Norcross. American Water – which could be a possible bidder for Atlantic City’s MUA if it is put up for sale under the state’s takeover of the city’s finances – is negotiating with the MUA to buy a reduced amount of water.

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Borgata Eyes Expansion, Casino License Bill Gets a Hearing – Monday’s Roundup

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The dark days of Atlantic City are behind it and Borgata could consider new developments, says the guy at the front of MGM, which runs the city’s most successful casino. Discussing the land that MGM owns around Borgata, Chief Executive Jim Murren said it could be developed. “We’re going to grow our business,” he said. Read more at NJ.com. Meanwhile, a new bill designed to prevent casino owners from holding licenses after shutting down a casino – apparently in an effort to prevent the Taj Mahal from reopening with new labor contracts – will get a hearing today.

More about: Roundup

The Mysterious Death Of A Richland Oak

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At some point today, an artist armed with a chainsaw will hack into the trunk of a dead oak tree in a Pine Barrens park.  In life, the oak tree was witness to more than a century of history in the village of Richland. In death, it will be a monument to that history. At least, that’s the vision of Buena Vista Mayor Chuck Chiarello. No one knows precisely what killed the oak tree in Richland’s Saw Mill Park.

More about: The Pine Barrens, Watchdog Journalism, buena vista township, centennarian oak, pinelands commission, pinelands village

South Jersey Images Of The Week – Dec. 3

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This week was an odd one weather-wise, but it made for some great pictures. It started warm and wet, then there was the Wednesday of Fog, then it turned cold, apparently to get into the holiday spirit in time for a whole lot of tree lightings and parades on Friday and Saturday. Here’s our selection of some of the week’s best images – this time they’re all from Atlantic County, via @rachel_ellentuck, @iamderricklogan, @listenofabc, @nigojapics, @worldwydewilliams and @suziqleigh.

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A Trump Museum, Earth Shakes, Tax Deals and Narcan – Friday’s Roundup

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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.

More about: Homepage Featured, Roundup

Atlantic City’s First Legal Distillery Nears Opening

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Atlantic City will soon boast its first ever legal distillery, thanks to brothers Eric and Mark Ganter. The Little Water Distillery may not be the first to ever produce spirits in the city, but it will be the first to do so with federal and state licenses. The distillery, which began life as a family daydream after Eric and Mark’s dad received a still for his birthday in 2013, will launch an American whisky dubbed WHITECAP around December 15, just in time for those of us who failed to do all our holiday shopping this past weekend. The whisky is the result of a collaboration with a distillery in the Appalachian mountains that the Ganter brothers struck up a friendship with during their multi-year process to launch their Atlantic City site. The name is a play on the white caps of the mountains and the Atlantic ocean, Eric Ganter explained.

More about: Atlantic City, Business, Atlantic City, distillery, little water, small business, tumble inn

There’s Something Happening On Pauline’s Prairie

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Something is happening down in Atlantic City’s Inlet neighborhood. A machine has appeared and some serious fencing has gone up around two vacant blocks. It’s not quite on the scale of the Gateway Project yet, but it looks like Boraie Development’s plan to build 250 rental units in one of Atlantic City’s most persistently development-starved neighborhoods is getting underway. Better known to some as Pauline’s Prairie or the mother ship of Atlantic City’s vacant lots, the site has been empty for 50 years. The project – dubbed The Beach at South Inlet – is set to include a gym, lounge, pool, parking, restaurants, shops and – yes – a grocery store alongside the housing units, but it has been slow to advance from initial plans laid out in 2013.

More about: Atlantic City, Homepage Featured, Atlantic City, boraie development, CRDA, Inlet, Pauline's Prairie, The Beach at South Inlet