Brown Backs Grossman
For those of you wondering what your Republican state senator Chris Brown thought of GOP Congressional candidate Seth Grossman’s views on race, he’s A-OK with them, according to the New Jersey Globe. We asked Brown’s aide if this was correct… He didn’t get back to us before Roundup press time (stay tuned to our site and Twitter for any update). It’s been a long few weeks in local and national politics, so if you fancy a refresher: the national Republican party withdrew support for Grossman (but it took a while), and Bill Sprouse interviewed Grossman for Route 40 here.
AC Start-Ups
An axe-throwing company and a small brewery went before Atlantic City’s Planning Board yesterday, Bill Sprouse reports for Route 40. “I’ve been sitting on this board for a long time, and I looked forward to the day where there would be five applications, and four of them are new start-ups,” Ronald Jordan, a board member said. “That’s a great day for Atlantic City. It really, really is. We’re on the right track.”
Immigration
NJ.com says ICE notified 75 New Jersey businesses they will be audited to determine whether they are employing unauthorized immigrants or committing other labor violations. Obviously, that should be a big deal in South Jersey, where everyone from healthcare providers to farmers to landscapers to casinos employ immigrants.
Consider, for a minute, this scenario: ICE fines your business and moves to deport a star employee. You think ICE was incorrect – your employee was authorized, or you recently submitted their still-pending visa application. What can you do? You could try to contest the ICE action. You would have to go to immigration court on your employee’s behalf. You discover there is a national backlog of more than 700,000 cases, some of which have been waiting a decade for a hearing. Right now in New Jersey there are 38,726 immigration cases pending. And for the kicker, New Jersey has the fifth-slowest immigration courts: an average case takes more than two years (825 days). And if you’re a business owner keeping your fingers crossed that ICE gets it right… sometimes ICE gets it wrong. Sometimes, really wrong.
For other headlines on everything from the opioid crisis to an update on the Wildwood beach violent arrest story, see below:
With Six Weeks To Go, Is Miss America ‘Coming Apart At The Seams?’–Is Miss America unraveling? With a little more than six weeks to go until the swimsuit-less Miss America 2019 is to be chosen inside Boardwalk Hall and broadcast on ABC, some state pageant winners are balking at signing contracts required to compete for Miss America, former Miss Americas are resigning from the board and foundation, and the storied but hobbled Atlantic City institution is described by one former Miss America as “coming apart at the seams.” www.philly.com
Slinging Fresh Fruit And Veggies In The Junk-Food Capital Of The Jersey Shore–In the land of deep fryers, where back bays flow with fudge and the ice cream rolls at you in waves, Bill Baxavaneos cuts through the calories each morning with two simple words and a dinner bell. “Fresh fruit!” www.philly.com
Ventnor Woman Charged With Killing Her Mother And Grandmother To Face Hearing In New Jersey Next Month–The Ventnor woman accused of killing her mother and grandmother, then fleeing to New York City, will be extradited to New Jersey next week, the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office announced Wednesday. Heather Barbera, 41, has been charged with first-degree murder, robbery, and other crimes in connection with the slayings of Elaine Rosen, 87, and Michelle Gordon, 67, whose bodies were found inside their eighth-floor Boardwalk condo on July 8. www.philly.com
Terroristic Threats Allegation Was Misunderstanding, Class II Officer Says–An allegation of terroristic threats was a misunderstanding, an Atlantic City Class II officer told BreakingAC. Alim Adams, 22, was charged after he allegedly followed a man in a vehicle and had threatened to kill him, Pleasantville police said. breakingac.com
Mays Landing Man Wanted For Threats Arrested With 270 Bags Of Heroin–A Mays Landing man wanted for threatening to kill a woman was arrested in Atlantic City with 270 bags of heroin, police said. Clarence Davis, 35, allegedly texted a picture of a handgun to a woman he repeatedly called and threatened to kill, Sgt. Kevin Fair said. breakingac.com
Teens Arrested In Burglaries, Theft–Two Mays Landing teens were arrested Thursday, after they allegedly tried to burglarize a Hamilton Township residence. Police were called to Keller Way at about 4.40 am, and saw two men matching the suspects’ description in the area, according to the report. breakingac.com
Friends Carry Atlantic City Shooting Victim Several Blocks–A teen was wounded in a shooting in Atlantic City’s Walk just before midnight. Friends then carried the victim several blocks, Sgt. Kevin Fair said. breakingac.com
Why Are Some New Jersey Malls Struggling To Stay Open?–The obituary of dead malls is written in neon “final sale” signs slapped on windows at Sears, which is the sole remaining retailer at the Burlington Center Mall. The mall’s 100 retail stores and restaurants closed, victims of changing times and tastes. www.njtvonline.org
Wildwood Beach Arrest Video: Woman Rejects Plea Offer–A Philadelphia woman whose violent arrest at a South Jersey beach over Memorial Day weekend was captured on video has rejected a plea deal and will seek entry into a pretrial program that could lead to the charge being dismissed. Emily Weinman was in court on Thursday. www.courierpostonline.com
More than 8 People Are Dying From Drug Overdoses In NJ Each Day. In 2010, It Was 2–In 2011, as the national opioid crisis was beginning to reveal itself, New Jersey officials were alarmed to see drug deaths crack 1,000 for the first time. This year, the state passed that total by early May. www.nj.com
ACLU-NJ Sues 12 School Districts, Alleging Discrimination Against Undocumented Students–The ACLU of New Jersey filed lawsuits against a dozen school districts across the state on Thursday, alleging that their enrollment policies are illegal and discriminate against immigrants. www.northjersey.com