Singles
Atlantic City ranks higher than Nashville, New Orleans, San Diego and a whole lot of other destination cities in a new Travel & Leisure magazine survey of the best cities and towns for singles. Kudos to PhillyVoice for picking up on this and noting that the magazine also credited AC with being “a favorite destination for girlfriend getaways.” (In almost completely unrelated news, but possibly of interest to South Jersey politics buffs, picture no. 20 in this gallery shows PhillyVoice CEO Lexie Norcross (daughter of George) with an arm around AC developer du jour Joe Jingoli at a swanky Cooper event earlier this year.)
Beach Water Testing
Sen. Bob Menendez and Congressman Frank Pallone are pushing for a state update to a 17-year-old national law governing beach testing requirements. The state tests its beaches once a week on Mondays. But Clean Ocean Action and other advocates say that research since the law was first enacted shows, for instance, that testing should be required after rainstorms, when sewage is still getting into the water. Menendez also said that federal funding for water testing – $9 million a year, nationally – is under threat as the Trump administration reassesses environmental spending. Read more via NJTV.
Airbnb
In a move with repercussions for coastal towns across New Jersey, Gov Chris Christie on Friday vetoed legislation that would have taxed Airbnb and other online rental marketplaces in the same way as hotels are taxed. Christie said the tax would hurt property owners and likely renters. The Democratic sponsors of the legislation saw it as a revenue source for the state’s many cash-strapped municipalities. Read more here via NJ Advance.
In the rest of the day’s news: It’s not just Murphy or Guadagno: Read about some of the other candidates here, Sandy fraud payments top $5 million, here’s a detailed look at the prescription drug database that helped officials bust the Egg Harbor Township-based Oxy ring last week, there’s another great white shark visiting AC’s waters this week, at least one person thinks Jersey Shore > Philly for bikeability, two were wounded in separate Atlantic City shootings overnight, and South Jersey diabetes cases are still rising even as nationally cases are declining. All that and more below:
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Area’s Largest Forest Fire in a Decade Burns for 4th Day–The fire, which has grown to 3,500 acres, was 50 percent controlled by Sunday afternoon. NJ.com
Jersey Shore Has Philly Beat for Bikeability–Bike lanes and road safety are in far better shape on the Shore, columnist discovers. Metro US
Great White Shark Swims to Waters off Atlantic City–Three days after a 1,326-pound great white surfaced off the coast of Maryland, the 12-foot-5 shark has made its way up the Jersey Shore, according to scientists' tracking data. On Twitter late Saturday, the non-profit organization OCEARCH posted tracking data showing the great white shark, named Hilton, had made his way north up the Jersey Shore. NJ.com
Atlantic City Named One of the Best US Cities for Singles–Spend a mere five minutes at the Pool at Harrah’s on a Saturday night and there’s no question the Atlantic City club is a haven for mingling singles. Though Atlantic City gets a rep more for its casinos and outlet malls -- and shuttered Trump hotels -- those aspects often overshadow AC’s role as a playground for the unattached. PhillyVoice
Prescription Database Helps Police Bust Physician-Led Opiate Ring–In addition to allowing physicians to identify potential substance abuse, New Jersey’s opioid prescription database has also become an effective tool for law enforcement, helping them track down prescribers who are improperly distributing these highly addictive drugs. The New Jersey Prescription Monitoring Program, which includes some 73 million entries, tracks opioid prescriptions filled for many patients in the Garden State and enables physicians and pharmacists to confirm a patient’s patterns of use before dispensing the drugs, in an effort to guard against so-called ‘doctor shopping.’ www.njspotlight.com
Pallone, Menendez Seek Funds For Beach Water Testing–A federal program for testing beach water quality nationwide could be at risk. NJTV News
By 2030, State Looks to Reduce Food Waste by 50 Percent–Within the next 13 years, the state aims to reduce the amount of food waste in New Jersey by 50 percent. Gov. Chris Christie signed the legislation (S-3027) on Friday without comment, one of dozens of bills he enacted into law. www.njspotlight.com
NJ Governor’s Race Has More Than Just Major Party Candidates–The Democratic and Republican candidates running to replace Gov. Chris Christie get most of the media and public’s attention, but five other hopefuls are in the race, including a pastor involved in high-profile efforts to assist refugees and immigrants facing deportation. apnews.com