Rent Too D*amn High
A bill that would let the state buy up foreclosed homes and turn them into affordable housing was passed 4-0 by the Senate Economic Growth Committee Monday, meaning it moves on now to the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee. Versions of this bill have been passed in the…*searches thesaurus* past but were always vetoed by Chris Christie, who was a famous softball player.
I like the part of this story where Troy Singleton of LD7 talks about how opposed he is to “regional contribution agreements” that let municipalities send their affordable-housing $ to certain needy communities on the promise of “a huge windfall of dollars coming in.”
“I cannot sit here and tell you how vociferously I disagree that bringing back RCAs will help fix this problem,” Singleton said. “It concentrates poverty in certain communities and it is against the spirit of what the Mount Laurel decision really was.”
Bless the valuable Spotlight for doing these stories.
P’ville Layoffs
Pleasantville schools are laying off 21 employees as they face a budget deficit, the Press of AC’s Claire Lowe reports. Layoffs are effective October 5 and include Atlantic City 4th Ward Councilman William “Speedy” Marsh who was facilities coordinator.
School $
Elsewhere in school money, NJ.com has an interesting report on high schools losing money through unlicensed sales of their sports-teams apparel, etc. Even when the sales are licensed the licensing program is “confusing and yields pennies on the dollar for schools.”
There was a time in my life (waterboy, football) when about 80% of my wardrobe said “Holy Spirit” on it, so I’m ready to believe this is a lot of money walking out the door.
For more feats of journalism…
N.J. colleges may soon face serious fines for bungling sexual assault cases–Reported sexual assaults at New Jersey colleges have been steadily rising in recent years. Now, New Jersey is considering hitting colleges where it hurts the most if they mishandle those allegations. www.nj.com
Here are the details of N.J.’s new legal weed bill, including delivery and smoking lounges–EDITOR'S NOTE: On Oct. 3, industry insiders from New Jersey and beyond will gather for a full day of programming and networking at NJ Cannabis Insider Live! If you’re serious about the industry and where things are heading with the pending legislation, you need to be there. For more information on the event, see our special offer on this page. www.nj.com
Bob Derbyshire, part of local sports scene for decades, dies–“He was such an important part of the sports scene in Atlantic County,” Tom Williams said. “It really feels like something is missing without him. He had a great sense of humor. It was always nice going to a game and seeing Derbyshire there.” www.pressofatlanticcity.com
24 arrested in child predator undercover operation–A Little Egg Public Works employee, a Cologne firefighter and an Egg Harbor Township man were among 24 alleged child predators arrested in a multi-agency undercover operation targeting those who would use social media to lure underage children for sex, the state attorney general announced Tuesday. breakingac.com