Fentanyl
An arrest was made in connection to last week’s 14 overdoses from Fentanyl-laced heroin in Camden, NJTV reports. “One individual we saved was able to provide us info which gave us the ability to go back and find the individual distributing these packets of fentanyl-laced heroin and place him under arrest,” Scott Thomson, chief of Camden County Police Department, told NJTV. Fentanyl is 50 times stronger than heroin and is responsible for many more fatal overdoses. Separately, the governor last week approved New Jersey’s first responders to carry a stronger dose of overdose antidote naloxone (also known by the brand name Narcan), in response to a push by Assemblyman Vince Mazzeo and Senator Colin Bell.
Renewable Energy
A package of bills before the state’s Senate would introduce aggressive goals to encourage faster take-up of renewable energy sources. If the legislation were to go through, New Jersey would require all of its electricity to come from renewable energy by 2050, and it would have a target of achieving 3,500 megawatts of offshore wind capacity by 2030. NJSpotlight looks at the details of the bills, which are being lined up to pass quickly once a new governor is in place.
No South Jersey Amazon HQ
New Jersey has selected Newark as it official candidate for Amazon’s second headquarters, reports ROI NJ, citing two sources. The governor is set to make an announcement in Newark this afternoon. The governor made the decision after hearing proposals from the state’s Economic Development Authority last week. The other three finalists were Jersey City, New Brunswick and Camden.
In the rest of the headlines from the weekend and this morning, a missing cardboard cutout of Pope Francis has been returned to a Gloucester County church, New Jersey election candidates’ statements are now also published in Gujerati and Korean, the difficulty of keeping drugs out of jails (with a focus on Cumberland County), the latest in the NJEA v Sweeney fight (Bridgeton front), and the latest on the Monroe Township school district mould problem. All that and more below:
Legislation Passes To Combat Fentanyl-Laced Heroin–No sooner did Gov. Christie announce recommendations from his opioid abuse task force than a rash of overdoses hit the City of Camden — fourteen overdoses on fentanyl-laced heroin within just four hours. “Fortunately, none of them were fatal, and we were able to save the lives of two people. www.njtvonline.org
Yoga Studio Opening Marks Beginning Of Tennessee Avenue Projects–Rolled-up yoga mats were tucked in a corner of a brand new yoga studio on Tennessee Avenue. In another room were shirts for sale that read, “This is yoga. This is community. This is Atlantic City.” www.pressofatlanticcity.com
AC Fashion Show To Feature Local Designers, Body Paint–Tonya Wright is already envisioning a red carpet runway stretching down the middle of the Noyes Arts Garage of Stockton University. The garage’s dining area will be transformed with vendor tables and a few high tops for socializing. www.pressofatlanticcity.com
Chalk About AC Draws Inspirational, Positive Images In Atlantic City–Jean Burbee and Michelle Tomko, of Atlantic City, “chalked” their way down the sidewalk Saturday outside the Brighton Avenue School. Burbee worked on an image that said, “Don’t be afraid to try.” www.pressofatlanticcity.com
NJ Funeral Director Speaks Out About Rise In Opioid Deaths: ‘Sometimes…10 People A Week’–The tragic toll of the opioid epidemic leaves families and friends devastated, but the effects don’t end there. Nick Renn works with 20 funeral homes in South Jersey. philadelphia.cbslocal.com
Member Of AC Drug Ring Sentenced To 10-Year Term–It was a bad move when Kabaka Atiba moved out of the house he shared with his girlfriend. His next roommates were drug traffickers, authorities said Friday, as the Absecon, NJ, man was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Camden to a 10-year prison term for selling crack cocaine. www.philly.com
Atlantic City Gets New Welcome Signs, Thanks To 2 Locals–Entering or exiting the city from Ventnor now just got a little more attractive, thanks to two locals. Friends Cindy Owen and Anne Marie Wilkins were reminiscing about growing up in the city one day and thought about ways they could give back. www.pressofatlanticcity.com
Mullica’s Amatol Site Part Of Recent Preservation In Pinelands–More than 2,300 acres in the state-designated Pinelands were preserved in the past year, including more than 500 acres in Mullica Township around the historic Amatol munitions plant that briefly played a role in World War I, according to a Pinelands Commission report. The newly preserved land brings the total Pinelands area preserved to 463,000 acres, said Pinelands Commission Chief Planner Susan Grogan. www.pressofatlanticcity.com