Pipeline Payback
Historically unpopular lame-duck governor Chris Christie is replacing a guy “considered one of the strongest conservationists” on the Pinelands Commission with Ed McGlinchey, who is not. Environmental advocates say the ousting of environmental lawyer Ed Lloyd, who’s served on the panel since 2002, is retaliation for Lloyd’s votes against the pipelines. Where would they get that idea? The Burlington County Times reports.
OUR CRUMBLING INFRASTRUCTURE
Remember when candidate Donald Trump promised a $1 trillion infrastructure initiative to build “new roads, bridges, tunnels, airports and railways gleaming across our beautiful land” and create millions of jobs in the process? I haven’t heard much about that lately either. Maybe they needed to crank up the federal deficit by a trillion dollars first.
Anyhow, in local news: NJ Transit, a “once-model commuter system” has fallen “into a safety and financial crisis,” Bloomberg reports, though that’s not really the news. What is news is that a state legislative committee is investigating this crisis, and NJ Transit is “suppressing internal documents subpoenaed by state legislators” including eight years of reports by the auditor general. Also records about the emergency-override technology that’s supposed to prevent derailments, like the one in Philadelphia in 2015.
Elsewhere in infrastructure: NJ Transit paid $6.13 million to the family of “longtime New Jersey garbage magnate” Carmine “Papa Smurf” Franco over land that the blue, bearded one owned that NJ Transit condemned for the ARC tunnel project that Christie later canceled. Got that? NJ.com reports.
The Sporting Life
Big John Russo at the Press of AC has a great profile of Shadrach Asadu, who moved from Ghana when he was in eighth grade and scored 34 goals this year for the Atlantic High soccer team. He finished his Vikings’ career with 81 goals. I don’t know how many games they play, but that seems like a lot.
$670 a Day
The well-compensated yet embattled interim superintendent of the Pinelands Regional school board has resigned, effective December 15, the Asbury Park Press reports. There are problems with contamination, etc. there, and they need someone to fix the situation.
Elsewhere across our gleaming and beautiful land:
Lynda Cohen reports on a rooming-house fire on North Indiana in Atlantic City that displaced 15 people.
A private beach in Point Pleasant is challenging the governor’s dune-building plans, Wayne Parry reports.
Vineland Poultry is opening a facility and getting state tax credits under the Grow NJ program, the Press of AC reports.
The NJSIAA voted to allow football teams to schedule 10 games, moved the season start date to the day after Labor Day and let larger schools enter co-op programs.
For even more news, see below…
DEM NEWCOMER TO CHALLENGE 12-TERM GOP CONGRESSMAN–Sen. Dick Codey (D-27) served up a candidate for Congress to a crowd of breakfasting Democrats at the Florham Park Diner, all there to endorse Mikie Sherrill, who’s running to unseat 12-term Congressman Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-11). www.njspotlight.com
Sutherland Tapped For Co. Prosecutor–Attorney Jeffrey H. Sutherland, Cape May County Democratic chairman, was nominated Nov. 30 to be Cape May County Prosecutor by Gov. Chris Christie. www.capemaycountyherald.com
Cap on Police, Fire Salary Increases Likely to Expire This Year–A law credited with restraining property tax growth is likely to expire at the end of the year while New Jersey lawmakers are on holiday. observer.com
Inspired by Trump, 2017 found more Democratic women running for office–When Democrats Ashley Bennett and Caren Fitzpatrick are sworn in as freeholders in January, they will join a record 41 women from both parties serving on freeholder boards across the state. www.pressofatlanticcity.com
League of Municipalities committee helps mentor, motivate female candidates–Women make up more than 50 percent of New Jersey’s population but just 24 percent of local governing bodies, New Jersey State League of Municipalities Executive Director Michael Darcy said. www.pressofatlanticcity.com
Katz JCC in Margate to present Israeli Film Series in December–The Milton & Betty Katz JCC, 501 N. Jerome Ave. in Margate will present an Israeli Film Series Tuesdays and Fridays in December. www.shorenewstoday.com
Cherry Hill Highway Intersection Claims 2nd Pedestrian in Four Months–On November 30, 59-year-old Clarence Singletary of Collingswood was killed while crossing Route 38 in Cherry Hill. www.njpen.com