Teachers vs Sweeney, Taxes Seesaw, Rehab Prison – Wednesday’s Roundup

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Teachers vs Sweeney
The state’s largest teachers’ association is committed to ousting Steve Sweeney as state Senate president (they don’t see eye-to-eye over a few issues, including Sweeney’s plan to change the school funding formula). But the NJEA’s deep pockets are no help this time since no one is challenging Sweeney on the Democratic ticket. The Philadelphia Inquirer takes a look at the union’s options and the outlook for Sweeney. In case you missed it, you might also be interested in our story from last year about how much NJEA’s spent fighting Atlantic City’s school-voucher vote. Taxes Seesaw
Atlantic City Mayor Don Guardian yesterday introduced the city’s budget with a five percent tax decrease – its first tax cut in a decade.

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CRDA Board Pay, PennEast Pipeline, Atlantic City’s TV Stars – Tuesday’s Roundup

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CRDA Board Pay
Everyone knows that times are tough in Atlantic City and they have been for a while. But three board members of the state’s Atlantic City development authority, CRDA, just received thousands of dollars in pay for attending monthly meetings. Read Route 40’s story here. PennEast Pipeline
The controversial pipeline through the pines now has federal sign off, but it still needs permits from the state of New Jersey and from the Delaware River Basin Commission. NJ Spotlight has the details.

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Air Marshal Training, Online High-School Chemistry – Monday’s Roundup

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Air Marshal Training
Did you know that a new round of U.S. Air Marshal recruits (the first since 2011!) are training right here in Atlantic County? It was news to us too, but The Washington Post has a neat behind-the-scenes look at what the training program entails and the special set-up at the William J. Hughes FAA Technical Center where it all happens. Online High-School Chemistry
Atlantic City doesn’t have a high-school chemistry teacher, so kids are learning online, Diane D’Amico writes for The Press of Atlantic City. The piece talks to students, who on the whole aren’t very impressed with the lack of a teacher, and looks at the reasons why the school hasn’t been able to find a teacher (it’s still looking).  Science and math teachers state-wide are in short supply – but it seems like luring them to Atlantic City has been a particularly tough sell and no one has any good solutions.

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New AC Coffee Shop, Overdose Death Charges, Tootblans, Taxes – Friday’s Roundup

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New AC Coffee Shop
There’s a new coffee shop in Atlantic City and it’s the result of a neat collaboration between Stockton University and the Rescue Mission – oh, and it’s “pay what you want”. The coffee shop, called ‘Hopeful Grounds’, will provide job training to Rescue Mission residents. It’s already proving popular with shoppers at the Rescue Mission Thrift store, Diane D’Amico reports for The Press of Atlantic City. Overdose Death Charges
An Ocean County man accused of supplying a lethal dose of heroin to a 26-year-old from Brick Township has been charged with (among other things) strict liability drug-induced death. This charge has been rarely used, in spite of the levels of the opioid epidemic in New Jersey.

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Hard Rock, ARTeriors – Thursday’s Roundup

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Hard Rock
It’s been a while since there’s been a casino opening ceremony in Atlantic City and the Hard Rock team pulled out some stops. There was a rock star, a governor non-grata (via helicopter) and some Seminole Tribesmen, as Amy Rosenberg reported for The Philadelphia Inquirer. Then there’s the matter of who was claiming credit for reopening the casino – as Christian Hetrick reported for The Press of Atlantic City. The nearly $400 million project is set to (re)create 3,000 jobs. Now’s probably not the time to be cynical, but…

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South Jersey Industries, Gardner’s Basin, Drone Traffic Control – Wednesday’s Roundup

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South Jersey Industries
The parent company of South Jersey Gas is in talks to combine with another New Jersey energy company, according to the Wall Street Journal (read a version of the story here). There has been no official comment by SJI. The company is involved with two major projects in the area, including transferring its headquarters from one side of Atlantic County to another as part of the Atlantic City Gateway development and the controversial Pinelands pipeline. It is not clear how any merger talks might affect those plans. The company’s share price rose on the news.

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Local News Matters – Tuesday’s Roundup

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#localnewsmatters
The owner of The Press of Atlantic City and Catamaran Media (which publishes The Current, The Gazette, and other local weekly papers) cut 12 jobs at those companies yesterday, including seasoned reporters, editors and photographers (read a little more here, via The Press). The company will also not be filling many currently vacant positions. On the same day, the price of The Press of Atlantic City went up 50 percent to $1.50. You probably know that the newspaper industry has been struggling for almost two decades. First came the internet, which eroded the value of printed news, then Facebook and Google became publishers and they now take most of the online advertising money.

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Storm-Water Runoff, Transportation, Drones’ Silicone Valley – Monday’s Roundup

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Storm-Water Runoff
There’s no sexier way to start your Monday than contemplating storm-water runoff… It’s important, since some of the flooding on Absecon Island (and also offshore) is related to bad drainage and too much concrete. Cities such as New York, which benefit from having lots of rich people and well-funded non-profits alongside their flooding problem, have been developing inventive and decorative ways to deal with storm-water runoff (basically, planting shrubberies or ‘rain gardens’ to help drain flood water). Why can’t we copy them? Some cities in northern New Jersey are already trying to, and the Department of Environmental Protection just announced $10.4 million in funding for such projects. NJ Spotlight has details on the funding and some floodwater schemes that are already operating.

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Boat Payouts, Skate Park Optimism – Friday’s Roundup

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Boat Payouts
If you’re at all interested in your property taxes, you should check out this amazing NJ Spotlight map from yesterday. The map looks at how much towns across New Jersey owe public workers for not taking their sick day entitlement. The amount was capped at $15,000 in 2010, but anyone hired before that is entitled to a payout that has become known as a ‘boat payout’. We all know that Atlantic City has a problem, but take a look at Brigantine and Margate on the map. Brigantine last year had to put aside $500,000 in reserves for its unused sick pay liability – and its employees have racked up a massive $5.1 million in owed payouts.

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Skate Park, Pinelands Pipeline, Whistleblowers – Thursday’s Roundup

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Skate Park
There was a skate park in Atlantic City on Sovereign Avenue by the bay. It wasn’t built to code – any code – so someone decided to bring it down yesterday. Of course, personal injury claims are a liability for municipalities. But in Atlantic City’s history, claims brought by deep-pocketed casinos who don’t like their tax bills have been a much bigger liability. Also arguably, having vacant and abandoned skyscrapers littering a town, while the state is forcibly downsizing the same town’s emergency services, is another big liability.

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