Dunes
The dune work in Margate is going ahead again but with some conditions, after a federal judge lifted the order that halted the construction project. The conditions are designed to increase safety in the event of any future ponding between the dunes and the bulkhead. Judge Renee Marie Bumb said the work should go ahead so Margate would not be left unprotected from storms during hurricane season. The Army Corps of engineers said it is working on solutions to the ponding problem. Read more via The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Amy Rosenberg.
Wine Camp
New Jersey wine is a real thing that’s here to stay and more people are dreaming of growing their own vines. Turning that dream into a reality is harder than it might sound, though. The Philadelphia Inquirer takes a neat look behind the scenes of Rutgers University’s “Wine Grape Summer Camp” and met some of the adventurous vineyard owners and the viticulture experts.
AC Community Fund
A new fund has been set up to “foster private giving, strengthen service providers and improve the conditions of the City of Atlantic City.” The fund will be backed by three New Jersey non-profit groups: Creative New Jersey, the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation and the Community Foundation of South Jersey (CFSJ). The CFSJ will legally manage the AC Community Fund as a non profit. The group is currently seeking board members and the organizers will require that more than two thirds of the board be Atlantic City residents. You can apply here. The fund will receive donations and gifts and manage charitable assets – it will seek to return funds to the community via grants awarded by a peer-reviewed application process. “Grants will be awarded to organizations whose missions are committed to improving the current and future quality of life within the City of Atlantic City,” the press release says. Find out more about the AC Community Fund via its website.
The ACUA wind farm.
In the rest of the day’s news, the local organizers of Stop the Heroin are featured in this week’s People magazine, Atlantic County’s master plan is open to public review, state Assemblyman Chris Brown says Atlantic County should get its full share of casino tax payments after agreeing to take on some Atlantic City services, Burlington County freeholders have denounced the confederate flags spotted at the county farm fair, and read about Nucky Johnson and more of NJ’s most infamous residents by county. All that and more below:
Franciscan Sisters Make a New Home in AC–When Agnes Holtz and Ann Kateri decided to make a full-time, life-long commitment to a religious life, they did not know their choice would lead them to the Franciscan Sisters of the Renewal and this resort. Now known as Sr. Agnes and Sr. Ann, they along with Sr. Joseph Van Munster and Sr. Chiara Fedele, have moved into St. Michael Rectory and are converting it into convent that will be dedicated at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday on the same day as the Wedding of the Sea Festival. Press of Atlantic City
Red Bull Global Rallycross Returns to Atlantic City–Two featured drivers say the Red Bull Global Rallycross event at Bader Field in Atlantic City on Saturday and Sunday will appeal to old-school NASCAR fans who love watching drivers trade paint and live by the motto of “rubbin’ is racin.’” “Contact is very much a part of the sport,” driver Scott Speed said in a recent interview. Press of Atlantic City
Atlantic City, Pleasantville School Districts Name Superintendents–Both Atlantic City and Pleasantville school boards approved full-time superintendents this summer after more than two years without a permanent school leader. Press of Atlantic City
Atlantic County Should Get Full PILOT Money, Brown Says–New Jersey should increase Atlantic County’s share of casino tax payments after the county to agreed to take over several programs from Atlantic City, including senior transportation, says state Assemblyman Chris Brown, R-Atlantic. Atlantic County officials had expected to get 13.5 percent of the casinos’ payment in lieu of taxes, or PILOT, paid to Atlantic City as part of the state takeover of the local government. Press of Atlantic City