The stars seem to be aligning around here, meaning that a whole lot of people with deep pockets as well as some politicians have agreed on something: Atlantic County needs jobs and maybe aviation and technology could be a better bet (sorry) than the casino industry. Leaving aside the fact that it would be hard to do much worse than being a gambling economy centered around closing casinos, aeronautics really does sound like a great future for our youth of today. The Press of Atlantic City looked at this issue last week and New Jersey 101.5 has the details today of a New York-based college that focuses on aeronautics and technology and could open a branch at the Atlantic City International Airport.
Every time I read about District 2, I think of the Hunger Games. But democratic hopeful David Cole seems to be thinking of how to beat his big-spending incumbent rival Frank LoBiondo. Cole has raised less than 10 percent of LoBiondo’s massive cash pile, but he’s not shying away from reminding the republican repeatedly of the times he took contributions from Trump. NJ Spotlight takes a look at how Cole is trying to hammer home LoBiondo’s connection to Trump in a geographic area (district 2) where we’re not exactly (yet) sending our young off to a fight to the death, but where things maybe don’t seem a whole lot brighter if you’re a casino worker or a contractor who was once duped by Trump.
Here’s the rest of what we’re reading today:
Pol Talks ‘Combating NJ’s Heroin Crisis’–Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli announced his four-part plan for combating the state's heroin-slash opiod crisis. Ciattarelli so far is the only Republican to announce a run for governor. PolitickerNJ has asked all candidates for their plans to address the problem, as part of a series. Observer
HUD to NJ: Give Back $43M or Explain Where it Went–The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has called for New Jersey to either justify $43 million in Sandy relief funds distributed by Hammerman and Gainer Inc. or to reimburse HUD from state funds. HUD says the state failed to properly oversee Hammerman Gainer, the company it hired to distribute the aid. www.njspotlight.com
Lead Removal Groups Get $10M–Eight non-profits have been awarded $10 million in total to fight lead poisoning, the state Department of Community Affairs announced. The grants are part of a federal program. www.njspotlight.com
From EHT to Broadway–Sara Wordsworth, who grew up in Egg Harbor Township and Linwood, has written "In Transit," the first a cappella musical on Broadway.
It opens in preview Nov. 10. Press of Atlantic City
Meeting to End All Meetings–Atlantic City's City Council is holding the special-est of special meetings this p.m. to announce the "Five (5) Year Recover Plan" whereby it might fend off a state takeover.
Once the plan's announced the state can either accept it or decide to accept the poison chalice of dealing with Atlantic City's finances for the next five (5) years. It has five (5) days to decide. Press of Atlantic City