Beach Smoking Ban
Longport has passed an ordinance to stop smoking on its beach, The Current reports. There will be fines for violations, but residents at the Longport Board of Commissioners’ meetings said that the ban is worthless unless it is enforced. Others at the meeting, however, pointed out that the ban will prevent health problems associated with second-hand smoke while having fewer cigarette butts around will help to keep the beach clean.
Aviation Training Course Delay
A new program that would train and certify students in aircraft maintenance at the Atlantic City International Airport has been delayed. Some county officials had hoped to have the program ready in June, but it will now likely be up and running by the end of the year, wrote John De Rosier for The Press of Atlantic City. The County’s Chief of Staff Howard Kyle said they are working on getting equipment and instructors for the program into place. The effort is part of a wider bid by the county to diversify jobs after the local unemployment rate soared when four casinos closed in 2014.
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Takeover Takes Back
“It looks like we just got robbed,” said Chris Brown, candidate for state senator, commenting on news that the legal team charged with taking over Atlantic City’s government has charged taxpayers $287,000 for its work between November and January. You can read more in The Philadelphia Inquirer‘s story from Friday. We are now on day 138 of the state takeover and there is apparently no deadline and officially no limit on how much the takeover lawyers can charge the state.
Atlantic City’s Little Water Distillery held a hugely successful Grand Opening party on Saturday night – people were spilling out the doors and there was a crowd keeping the bar staff busy mixing signature whisky and rum-based cocktails. You can see our pictures from the event and some video of the bar action on our Facebook and Instagram accounts.
The rest of the headlines from the weekend and this morning include news that a convent will open in Atlantic City, the weather will be milder – with more rain, former reality TV protagonist Jon Gosselin is now a stripper in Atlantic City, and there’s a new arts and innovation center in Millville. All that and more below:
Atlantic City Coast Guard Crew Rescues Virginia Boat Captain–The captain, airlifted from a trawler located 50 miles east of Chincoteague, Virginia, was transported by helicopters to AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center for treatment. New Jersey 101.5 – Proud to be New Jersey – New Jersey News Radio
Governor’s Office Investigating Demolition of Bellmawr Historic Home–The controversy continues in Camden County, where a historic home with ties to the Revolutionary War was abruptly destroyed several weeks ago. The Mayor of Bellmawr says the entire community was working to save the Hugg Harrison Glover home, and that the New Jersey Department of Transportation demolished the home without telling anyone first. www.snjtoday.com
Dredging of South Jersey Inlet Won’t Begin Until July–The dredging of a key South Jersey Inlet won't begin until early July due to federal fish migration regulations, a state official said. The state Coastal Engineering Department said earlier this month that dredging of Little Egg Inlet is needed because parts of the channel have sand buildup, making navigation challenging and dangerous. Newsworks.org
Measuring Flounder a Complex Undertaking With a Big Impact–It’s likely few people have written more about summer flounder than Mark Terceiro. Terceiro, a research fishery biologist at NOAA’s Northeast Fisheries Science Center, said a lot of information goes into a stock assessment. Press of Atlantic City
No Visits Allowed at Atlantic County Jail This Weekend–Visits to the Atlantic County Justice Facility were canceled this weekend. There has been no official word on why the visits were canceled, although someone who answered the phone at the jail said it was “per the warden.” BreakingAC
One Year After Son’s death, NJ Couple Heads Thriving Anti-Opioid Group–Last Easter morning, Bill and Tammy Schmincke found their son Steven, who had struggled with opiate addiction for the past four years, unresponsive in their home. They do not want their son's story to be swept under the rug. New Jersey 101.5 – Proud to be New Jersey – New Jersey News Radio
14 Jersey CSA Programs To Give You a Fresh Start This Spring–Spring hasn’t exactly shown its sunny self yet, but the peak harvest season is just around the corner. March (generally) means no more snow and, more importantly, that it’s time to renew my CSA membership. njmonthly.com
Interactive Map: Detailing New Jersey’s National Flood Insurance Payments–Over the past four decades, New Jerseyans have received almost $6 billion in payments from the national flood insurance program to help rebuild after devastating storms like Hurricane Sandy, which is estimated to have wrought more than $36 billion in damage to the state. www.njspotlight.com
Police, Firefighters Edge Closer to Control of Own Retirement Fund–New Jersey police officers and firefighters moved a major step closer to getting more say in how their pensions are administered after the full Assembly voted yesterday in favor of a bill that would spin their retirement fund out of the broader state pension system. www.njspotlight.com