The Atlantic City Ballet canceled two shows in a row. An official at the ballet declined to comment about the cancellations when we sent an email. A performance of Carmen was canceled with two days’ notice last month and the March performance of a Midsummer Night’s Dream was canceled the day of the performance. Although comments were disabled on the ballet’s Facebook page, some dancers expressed their frustration with the cancelations on social media, commenting that they were also informed at the last minute. The ballet company was formed by Phyllis Papa in 1982. The nonprofit’s board president is now Arlin Padilla, who replaced Peter Caporilli.
Local Earmarks. Of the 4,975 projects earmarked in this year’s spending bill, some South Jersey plans caught our eye. Bloomberg Government compiled a full list, sortable by state and dollar amount. Among them:
- $1 million tagged by Rep. Jeff Van Drew for the Little Egg Harbor Township recreation complex field rehabilitation
- $4.6 million tagged by Van Drew for the Atlantic County Improvement Authority, for Lake Lenape dam flood mitigation
- $800,000 for small business assistance in Atlantic City (again Van Drew)
- $500,000 earmarked by Senator Bob Menendez for Stockton University for coastal resiliency equipment, education and outreach
- A couple of different projects at Atlantic Cape Community College, tagged by Senator Menendez and Senator Cory Booker
Pickleball and basketball nets are on their way to Bader Field, Councilman Jesse Kurtz said on Twitter, along with signage. “I have been pushing during the off-season for this to be open for the warm weather,” Kurtz said. “We are almost there.”
What’s Coming Up?
New Jersey’s 3 Bridges Run, a 10 mile or 5K race spanning three bridges between Somers Point, Ocean City and Egg Harbor Township, will take place this Saturday May 7. Run the closest to a hilly course we can get in South Jersey! The race, organized by Brigantine’s Green Whales, will help support swim lessons for local kids and raise funds for other nearby nonprofits too. Find out more and register here.
Herb-Growing Workshop. The Noyes Arts Garage is hosting Rutgers Master Gardener Caren White to lead a workshop on growing herbs in containers, Sunday May 15 at 1pm.
North Beach Mini Golf Opening. The North Beach Mini Golf course will open at some point next week after weather postponed its planned May 7th opening. A ribbon-cutting ceremony will take place on Saturday May 21, to coincide with the Absecon Lighthouse’s Spring Festival.
Further Reading
Here’s a study from the Urban Institute on how affordable housing units in Alexandria, Virginia, were associated with a slight increase in the values of homes within the radius of a block.