Drug-Maker Suits
“Nothing short of evil,” was how New Jersey’s attorney general on Thursday described the conduct of a drug manufacturer that makes a powerful fentanyl painkiller spray. Finally, drug companies are being scrutinized as the opioid epidemic spreads and overdose deaths from supposedly tightly-controlled opioids such as fentanyl are rising. There are now 41 state attorney generals investigating opioid companies. New Jersey’s suit against Insys Therapeutics, which makes the fentanyl spray, alleges the company created false records to get insurers to cover the drug for patients who didn’t need it. Read more via The Philadelphia Inquirer.
School Consolidation
The Press of Atlantic City’s Claire Lowe tackles the thorny topic of school consolidation by taking a look at Cape May County’s schools, where enrollment has been declining for years (see our map of New Jersey’s shrinking schools).
It’s still cranberry season. Shot via @moonlilyimages on Instagram.
There is no plan on the table to consolidate school districts, but the piece looks at the pros and cons of consolidating, as well as the creation of more regional districts. “It’s difficult. The negotiations or the proposals to consolidate almost always leave some group of people feeling like they’re sacrificing something for a benefit they’re not sure they’re going to see,” John Weingart, associate director of Rutgers’ Eagleton Institute of Politics, tells the Press. Read more here.
Seafood Club
You know how you’re always talking about eating more healthily, buying locally-sourced food, trying more fresh fish, and giving to good charities? Here’s a chance to do all those things in one go. Read our story on the Sublime Seafood Club.
In the rest of the day’s news, Amazon could be interested in buying Millville’s tiny airport (according to a source), NJSpotlight has an interactive map that shows state and local tax write-offs in each New Jersey town (these deductions would end under President Trump’s tax plan), and Rowan University is considering trimming its number of adjuncts and adding more full-time staff. All that and more below:
CRDA Proposes New Land Regulations for Atlantic City’s Aging ‘Tourism District’–The Casino Reinvestment Development Authority (CRDA) is one step closer to rolling out new land-use rules and regulations for the Atlantic City Tourism District. On Wednesday, October 4th, the CRDA held the first of two public hearings for proposed rules and regulations that would change zoning in the area. www.snjtoday.com
Cumberland County to Receive $2.5 Million Grant for New Food Processing Plant–The Cumberland County Improvement Authority has been awarded a $2.5 million grant for construction of a Food Commercialization Center in Bridgeton, US Representative Frank Lobiondo R-2nd announced Thursday. www.pressofatlanticcity.com
Boys & Girls Club STEM Program Gets ‘Energized’ by Atlantic City Electric Grant–Atlantic City Electric, through a partnership with the Boys and Girls Clubs of Atlantic City and Gloucester County, has launched a new program called the Atlantic City Electric STEM Club. The program, funded by a $50,000 grant from Atlantic City Electric, provides Boys and Girls Club representatives an engaging project-based curriculum and career development program to help prepare elementary, middle and high school-aged students for career opportunities in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. southjerseyobserver.com
The Leaves in South Jersey Are A-Changin’–It seems the unseasonably warm weather that lasted into the end of September has robbed South Jersey of early fall colors. But never fear, the recent cool nights could ensure a spectacular autumnal display of changing leaves. www.snjtoday.com
Meet The 16-Year-Old From Cherry Hill Who Made US Soccer History This Summer–Whenever rumors start flying about the potential for Union goalkeeper Andre Blake to be sold to a European team, questions inevitably follow about who else is in the team’s pipeline. www.philly.com
Shore Area Restaurant Closed After Police Find Animals Loose In Kitchen–A restaurant in Galloway Township, Atlantic County, has been closed after police found exotic birds and a cat loose in the kitchen and food preparation area, the Atlantic City Press reported. An owner of AJ’s Cafe on Route 9 had said the cat and the birds were kept in cages outside the kitchen area, but township officials, responding to an open public records request from the Press, released photos showing the birds and the cat loose in the kitchen. www.philly.com
NJ State Troopers, A Stray Cow And A Lesson About The Garden State–New Jersey state police used an encounter between a stray cow and a couple of troopers to let out-of-staters know New Jersey isn’t called the Garden State for nothing. “Do you know what grinds our gears?” is how a post on the state police Facebook page began Thursday morning. www.philly.com
Atlantic City Man Charged In 2016 Shooting Arrested With Loaded Gun–An Atlantic City man already charged in a double shooting last year was arrested Wednesday with a loaded handgun in the same area. Orion Austin, 21, and another man are charged in a November shooting that wounded a man and woman in Buzby Village in the city’s Chelsea Heights section. breakingac.com
Alert Resident Leads Atlantic City Police To Man, Drugs And Two Guns–A man was arrested with two guns and a large amount of drugs thanks to an alert resident, Atlantic City police said. Someone stopped Officers Paul Dooner and Branden Vongsasombath at about 3.30 pm, telling them of a potential burglary in progress of a property in the 2500 block of Pacific Avenue, Sgt Kevin Fair said. breakingac.com
Ballot Question Closer To Stop Raiding of Natural-Resources Damages–In recent years, the state has tapped polluters by having them pay to help restore natural resources — creating oyster habitat in Delaware Bay, building wetlands along Newark Bay, and demolishing dams on the Raritan River. The money for those projects came from natural-resources damage claims filed by the state against those who have contaminated land and water, a tool used to restore areas harmed by industrial and other pollution. www.njspotlight.com
Critics Say Chronic Problems In NJ Nursing Board Put Patients At Risk–roblems with the program that oversees nursing in New Jersey go beyond vacancies on the licensing board to include a chronic lack of support staff, internal management concerns, and other issues that critics say now put nurses’ profession — and patient health — at risk. More than a dozen nurses, educators, advocacy organizations, and labor leaders testified yesterday before the Senate Legislative Oversight Committee at a hearing dedicated to fleshing out concerns raised by professionals about the New Jersey Board of Nursing, which licenses and regulates some 220,000 healthcare providers, including home health aides. www.njspotlight.com