Casino Control, Suspended Students & Lawful Liquor – Wednesday’s Roundup

By Route 40 Staff | November 30, 2016

The latest chapter in the sorry tale of the casino formerly known as the Revel involves its current owner, Glenn Straub, suing the Casino Control Commission for holding up his plans to “make Atlantic City great again” (and yes, his lawyer really said that.) Last time we checked, TEN (as it’s hard to remember it’s now called), had the go-ahead to open next year as a hotel, but the current issue is whether or not Straub will be able to let someone else operate a casino in the property. Maybe Straub is just in the wrong business. Little Water Distillery, which has been joking about racing Revel to open, is pretty much there. We see your glow-ball response #Revel, and raise you two security lights and building permit on the window…… pic.twitter.com/raPqtLN97e
— Little Water (@littlewaterdist) September 3, 2016

The distillery is Atlantic City’s first-ever lawful producer of spirits and now has the necessary federal, state and city permissions to open its doors – we took a look last week and got to meet the owners.

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No New Year’s Love For Atlantic City and South Jersey Judges Are Getting Rich – Monday’s Roundup

By Route 40 Staff | November 28, 2016

There will be no spotlight on Atlantic City from New Year’s Rockin’ Eve this year, The Press of Atlantic City reports. Everyone’s favorite government authority, the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority, had hoped to sponsor a broadcast from Boardwalk Hall using money left over from two cancelled beach concerts this summer. But apparently “scheduling conflicts and other considerations” got in the way. For anyone wondering whether or not this is a big deal, apparently New Year’s Rockin’ Eve had 22 million viewers, or 58 pct of the 18-49-year-old segment, last year. Which is a whole lot more than tuned in to the Miss America Pageant (another Dick Clark Production).

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Pinelands Blazes and Shopping Local Rebates – Tuesday’s Roundup

By Route 40 Staff | November 22, 2016

There are several forest fires burning in Atlantic County’s Pinelands and more than 200 acres of Wharton State Forest have already been wiped out as 30-mph wind gusts are hindering efforts to contain the blaze. No roads or buildings are threatened but the windy conditions are challenging firefighters’ efforts to control the flames. The Press of Atlantic City reports that firefighters believe they should have the fires under control later today. Would you spend more in local stores if you could get money off your property tax bill in return? Haddonfield is the latest South Jersey town to try such a program, but as our NJ News Commons colleague Matt Skoufalos reports at NJ Pen, it is not as straight-forward as it first sounds and high upfront costs for business owners have hamstrung a wider rollout of the ‘Shop Local’ program.

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Maximizing Returns From The Ocean and No More Star Academy – Thursday’s Roundup

By Route 40 Staff | November 17, 2016

Talkshow host Harry Hurley this morning had Atlantic City’s new boss from the state, Jeff Chiesa, in to talk all things takeover related. Among Chiesa’s crazy new plans for turning the cash-strapped casino town around: An effort to make more of the city’s “great things” including the ocean. He also said that fixing the city’s finances is a “significant challenge” and he’ll be working with all parties involved. There’s no story up yet, but here’s Harry Hurley’s site and here’s Christian Hetrick’s Twitter feed, with all the details. About 1,000 students at the Star Academy learned this week – some via a casual text message – that their school in Egg Harbor Township was closing.

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Pipelines and Takeover Questions – Thursday’s Roundup

By Route 40 Staff | November 10, 2016

PennEast

A $1 billion gas pipeline that investors hope will bring cheaper gas to South Jersey from Northeastern Pennsylvania has been delayed by federal regulators after late route changes. It’s not clear how the hold-up will affect the pipeline’s construction. It was scheduled to come online in the second half of 2018. Folsom, Atlantic County-based South Jersey Industries has invested $200 million in the project (that’s more than 20 times what they’re spending on their new Atlantic City office) and they’ve been touting it as a big deal to their shareholders. The pipeline has come under fire from environmental groups along the route between Luzerne County, PA and Mercer County, NJ.

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Rep. Frank LoBiondo Really Doesn’t Want To Comment – Tuesday’s Roundup

By Route 40 Staff | November 8, 2016

If you didn’t vote already, watch the amazing video below from the Inquirer’s Amy Rosenberg, asking Rep. Frank LoBiondo (up for reelection) to comment on why he decided to vote for Trump – after just recently making a big song and dance about how he could not possibly vote for Trump. U.S. Rep Frank LoBiondo, R-New Jersey, refusing to explain why he changed his mind and voted for Donald Trump after all. #oops pic.twitter.com/NccquAmMI1
— Amy S. Rosenberg (@amysrosenberg) November 8, 2016

There’s some other news today too, in among all the election coverage. You should read this from The Atlantic City Press on how the state again rejected Atlantic City’s recovery plan. Tomorrow in Trenton the state’s Local Finance Board will be deciding what bits of Atlantic City’s government and assets it would like to take control – we will be covering it on Twitter so you can follow us there @route_40 from about 11am.

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More Opioid Problems and Liquor On The Ballot – Monday’s Roundup

By Route 40 Staff | November 7, 2016

It’s cold today but it’s going to warm up tomorrow and rain on Wednesday, according to the latest forecast, before cooling down again for the weekend. If you fancy an in-the-weeds read, check out our story on the entities funding the campaigns for and against casino expansion in New Jersey. Here’s the rest of what we’re reading today:

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