Scoop of the Week goes to Nanette LoBiondo who reports that a theater operator bought the long-abandoned Ventnor Twin theater and plans to reopen it next year as a boutique movie house slash restaurant where you can B your own B. Ventnor Commissioner Lance Landgraf said “the movie theater would be ‘a game changer’ for Ventnor,” NanLo reports.
Honestly, this is more exciting to me than Revel + Hard Rock. (And it’s been Elinor’s dream for a couple of years).
59%
That’s the percentage of New Jerseyans in favor of legalizing marijuana according to the latest Monmouth U. poll, and it’s up 11% since four years ago. Elected officials, who get paid to do unpopular stuff all the time, are less excited.
$4.8 Million
Amy Rosenberg has updated the legal bill run up by Jeffrey Chiesa and the rest of the Atlantic City oversight team in light of her latest document request, and my favorite part of this story is the part where Sheila Oliver shows up to throw shade at cost concerns.
For everything else from around South Jersey, see below:
Taxi medallion loans are backfiring on credit unions in ride-sharing age–That’s because, with ride-hailing apps such as Uber prevailing in the market, taxi medallions — a fixture that represents a taxi driver’s permission to operate in a certain location — have gone from surefire million-dollar possessions to having a checkered pricing record. And a precipitous drop in prices has implications for those credit unions in the state that hold taxi-medallion loans. www.roi-nj.com
PSE&G WANTS BPU TO OK $1.6B PLAN TO UPGRADE GAS PIPELINES–Public Service Electric & Gas has reached agreement with state regulators to spend $1.6 billion to replace much of its aging gas pipeline system under a deal that could be approved by the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities as early as Wednesday. www.njspotlight.com
Guess where it’s worst to be poor in New Jersey | Editorial–It's better to be poor and living in Paterson than to be poor and living in Penns Grove. That's not the precise result of a new study that looks at a north-south divide in how the State of New Jersey divvies up municipal aid, but it's not an unreasonable assumption based on the findings. www.nj.com
ST. AUGUSTINE PREP, STATE’S TOP TEAM, GRINDS OUT WIN OVER NO. 4 EHT–EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP — Parking spots were at a premium on Friday afternoon at Egg Harbor Township, as fans were eager to see a matchup between the host Eagles and St. Augustine Prep, two of the state’s top teams. glorydaysonline.com
Gay teacher says coworkers told him to ‘find a woman,’ get a pet instead of kids–A gay employee in a South Jersey school district was harassed by his coworkers over his desire to be a foster parent with one telling him to "just get another pet" instead of a child and he should "find a woman" to have a child with, a lawsuit claims. www.nj.com
THE LIST: DEMS WHO’VE SCORED BIG USING WEBSITE FOR SMALL DONATIONS–Democratic candidates for New Jersey’s House seats have raised far more money than Republicans through the first quarter of this year, with help from a fundraising platform that works for left-leaning candidates and causes. www.njspotlight.com
Atlantic City’s 2 new casinos deal with hype very differently–When Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City opens its doors in June, it will be the final act in a highly publicized play that included a Times Square news conference, Miss America, massive job fairs and the transformation of one of Atlantic City’s most recognizable buildings. www.pressofatlanticcity.com
Lawn mower racing makes a comeback in Ocean County–Saturday was a beautiful day to enjoy the sunshine and take the lawn mower out for the first ride of the season. Out in West Creek, instead of trimming the grass, lawn mower riders were tearing up the racetrack. www.pressofatlanticcity.com
Forget A Cat In A Tree… Bargaintown Firefighters Save Dog From A Roof–A dog was rescued from the roof of an Egg Harbor Township home Sunday night. The dog walked out of a second-floor window and wound up on the roof of a home on Olivia Drive, firefighters said. breakingac.com