Revel
A New York-based investment firm said it increased its offer for the former Revel casino to $225 million (from $220 million), Nicholas Huba reported for The Press of Atlantic City on Friday. Property owner Glenn Straub said he hadn’t heard of the offer and it’s costing him $1 million a month to run the (closed) casino. Keating & Associates – the firm reported to have made the offer – has retained attorney Brian Callaghan, Huba reports.
Healthcare Center Cuts
Health centers that provide pediatric and adult services to some of the poorest New Jersey residents could see billions of dollars wiped from their budgets if a 2015 federal plan goes through to cut the centers’ spending. Federally Qualified Health Centers would lose about $1 in every $5 they currently receive, if the federal budget deal agreed two years ago goes through, NJ Spotlight reports. In South Jersey, healthcare centers including Atlanticare’s in Atlantic City would be affected, as well as the Southern Jersey Family Medical Centers, which serve thousands of children each year.
Yes, that’s the Atlantic City World War I memorial with a touch of Endless Summer. The design is by artist, photographer and designer Drew Dennis (also known as Listen of Art Before Crime). You can find more of his work at www.sec-ond.com and follow him on Instagram @listenofabc.
Camden’s Schools
What happens when the state government takes over responsibility for something previously under local control? What’s the process for backing out? Atlantic City-watchers might want to pay close attention to Camden’s school district, under a state takeover since 2013, and where there are no plans to fast track a handover process back to local authorities, NJ Spotlight reports. Even under state oversight, school instructional programs are graded poorly and Camden schools are still far from meeting targets set under the takeover.
In the rest of the headlines from the weekend and this morning, the Hard Rock Cafe in Atlantic City is laying off all its staff, Tropical Storm Jose could bring coastal flooding to New Jersey, Gov. Christie will spend $200 million to fight the heroin epidemic, watch state assemblywoman Maria Rodriguez-Gregg (whose district includes Hammonton) call officers “f**king a**holes” when pulled over for a DWI, New Jersey Democrats met in Atlantic City, South Jersey is at the bottom of a ranking of counties where people make the most money (Cumberland, Salem and Atlantic counties are numbers 21, 20 and 18 respectively) and two people killed in a shooting in Buena over the weekend have been identified. All that and more below:
Father, Son Rescued From ‘Worst Riptides in Years’ off Atlantic City–Beach Patrol officials are warning bathers of some of the strongest rip currents in years after performing more than 30 water rescues during the weekend. Among those rescued were a father and son from Pennsylvania who entered the water about 10.45 am Sunday at South Carolina Avenue and were immediately caught in a rip current and pulled out to sea, city Beach Patrol Chief Steve Downey said in an email. www.pressofatlanticcity.com
Where Have All the School Board Candidates Gone?–By the July 31 deadline, some school districts in South Jersey still lacked sufficient candidates for all the open seats on local boards of education. In other districts, there were just enough candidates, but no competition. Of the 16 municipalities in Cape May County, four have open seats where no candidate is listed on the ballot. www.pressofatlanticcity.com
Cherry Hill Police to Community: ‘Run With Us, Not Away From Us’–Cherry Hill may seem like an unlikely place for a community policing campaign. There have not been any protests or backlash against the suburban police force. Still, Police Chief William Monaghan wants to build an even better relationship with residents in the sprawling Camden County township of 71,000. www.philly.com
Delaware River Watershed: It’s Healthy, But Significant Threats Are Looming–For a resource delivering drinking water daily to 15 million people, the Delaware River Watershed faces a range of issues to intimidate anyone who recognizes the consequences of squandering its multiple assets. Climate change, fish advisories for contaminated species, disputes over how and where water supplies are allocated, and an ongoing debate over how natural gas development impacts water quality are just a few of the issues vying to be addressed. www.njspotlight.com
Tax Relief for Hurricane Victims With Financial Ties to New Jersey–Hurricanes Harvey and Irma brought devastation in recent weeks to states and territories that are located far from New Jersey’s borders, but now state officials have decided to provide some tax relief to victims of the two storms who have financial ties to the Garden State. New Jersey’s Division of Taxation is granting extensions of many tax-filing and payment deadlines for individuals and businesses that were impacted by the two hurricanes, pushing most deadlines for those located in the disaster areas to January 31. www.njspotlight.com
Somers Point Hosting Open Talk About Heroin, Opiate Epidemic–Somers Point is hosting a Town Hall meeting Monday night to talk about the opiate problem in the area. The meeting is meant to help parents, teachers and others recognize use, find out what help and resources are available, and hear the impact heroin and other opiates have had on Somers Point and the entire region. breakingac.com
Appellate Panel Backs Decision To Try Atlantic City Teen As Adult–The decision to try an Atlantic City teen as an adult was backed by evidence, an appellate panel has ruled. Jamaal Campbell was just 17 when he was arrested June 22, 2013, with a .45-caliber semi-automatic handgun in his waistband, according to the charges. breakingac.com
Rewarding Smart Girls, Good Cops–When Indra Owens and Automne Bennett started Princess Inc., they knew they wanted to have an impact on the girls of Atlantic City. Now, they are helping some get to college — for free. breakingac.com