Food Fights
Uptown School Complex parents say their kids school lunches have bugs in them. School officials say that’s bologna (sorry). You make that call! Lynda Cohen will help you.
That $300 Million per Year
The CEO of that big power company that wants $300 million per year said of course they shouldn’t have to disclose financials to get their subsidy, citing some technical reasons that I guess make sense in CEO-land.
Do you think when they started this process back during the lame-duck Christie session, they expected to still be getting front-page news coverage in February? Maybe people are starting to get the point on this subsidy stuff: Keynesian stimulus for multi-millionaires. Austerity for everyone else. It’s the future!
7,106 Jobs
By the way, some people are saying (the bill’s own sponsor) that the PSE&G bill could kill the state’s solar power industry. Many people are saying it could happen.
Eminent Domain
Elsewhere in our dystopian future, did you know private companies can file eminent domain claims to take people’s property? I forgot. It’s hard to keep track.
Anyway. The pipeline company PennEast filed “eminent domain notices in federal court” to take land from dozens of people in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, people like T.C. Buchanan, who was offered $46,000 for an easement that would make the farm she’s made her living on for 22 years “worthless” (her word). “When somebody is threatening to destroy something you have worked your entire life for, it’s so upsetting.”
They also get federal marshals to provide crowd-control when they do get their easements, because they feel harassed and intimidated, they say. This is the land-seizing energy company that feels harassed, not the farmers getting their land took.
NJTransit Millennial Fail
Everything’s painted green in Philadelphia for the Iggles Day parade, which makes this as good a time as any to reflect on the sad state of public transportation between the beach and our neighbor to the westward, in part because NJ Transit suspended ticket sales on the Atlantic City-Philadelphia line last night “BECAUSE OF HIGH SALES VOLUME” (Bloomberg reporter Elise Young’s words and punctuation).
Wouldn’t it be great if you could get to Philadelphia in an hour on the train? Or the bus? If it was reliable and regular, even 90 minutes could be a game-changer. I know the older generation thinks cars are the bee’s knees, but kids these days have laptops, cellphones. You can enjoy a frosty beverage, send a few emails read your favorite local news website and perhaps make a small donation to their cause. Dare to dream!
Elsewhere across your region:
Here’s Why Decertifying This Rogue NJ Agency Is Good News for Animals: Opinion–The NJSPCA was created in 1868 and is the second oldest Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) in the country. observer.com
Ex-pharmaceutical employee headed to prison for $1M prescription fraud–A 40-year-old former pharmaceutical employee was sentenced to 15 months in prison for her role in a nearly $1 million scheme involving compound medicine. www.nj.com
NJ marijuana legalization: How to get a marijuana license in cutthroat weed market–Want to sell marijuana – legally – in New Jersey? Even before state lawmakers consider enabling legislation, some imperatives are emerging for those looking to acquire one of New Jersey's precious few marijuana licenses, based on interviews with consultants in the trade, lawyers and other experts. www.app.com
Ocean County freeholder calls weed more addictive than cocaine–TOMS RIVER – Marijuana is more addictive than cocaine. www.app.com