We had a fantastic time last night hanging with the Bungalow Park neighborhood posse for our Voting Block political potluck (we’ll be sharing that conversation soon). If you fancy gathering your neighbors and friends to talk NJ political issues over food and drink, find out here how you can host your own political potluck.
Superstorm Sandy Steroids
“Up and down the New Jersey coastline, houses have gotten bigger, taller and, with few exceptions, pricier since Sandy pummeled the Shore on Oct. 29, 2012. Year-round ownership continues to decline as buyers snap up second homes, undeterred by the possibility of another devastating storm.” How Hurricane Sandy Became Steroids For Jersey Shore Development by Julia Terruso for The Inquirer.
“The pine barren gentian (Gentiana autumnalis) is a beautiful late blooming wildflower, but unfortunately it is very rare in New Jersey. This one is part of a population along a sandy road in the Franklin Parker Preserve.” – photo and details via Lindsay and Tim Ifill of Wild Roots NJ.
Coastal Commision
Could New Jersey dust off a decades-old blue print for a coastal commission to help plan for rising sea levels? This idea was part of a discussion yesterday at awide-ranging conference on the Shore of the Future at the War Memorial in Trenton. NJSpotlight has the details here. “What’s really quite clear is the issues are far too big, far outstrip the ability of one or even a group of municipalities to handle. The state needs to step up,” David Kutner, planning manager for New Jersey Future, told NJSpotlight. “It is a role New Jersey has been absent from — I daresay — for the past eight years.”
In the rest of the day’s news, Amazing Ventnor’s Puerto Rico benefit raised almost $15,000 (and there’s still time to contribute), Jon Bon Jovi played an intimate set at Resorts in AC last night for his friend Phil Murphy, the man convicted in a fatal crash that killed a Mainland High School teen was sentenced to 10 years in prison, casino tax settlements have earned Atlantic City a slight upgrade of its debt to a better standard of junk, the cold front means it’s a good time to see migrating birds in South Jersey, NJSpotlight looks at what it costs to win an election in New Jersey, CRDA yesterday approved a 2018 budget that will reduce its spending, New Jersey yurts are going the way of the dodo and if you’re in search of a long read today try “When did the Jersey Devil get so lame?” All that and more below:
New Bond Issue Edges Closer As Vo-Techs Make Case For Urgent State Funding–New Jersey voters will decide in a few weeks whether the state should take on more than $100 million in new debt to pay for library capital projects. But even as the fate of that proposed borrowing has yet to be determined, lawmakers are already starting to explore the next big bond issue that could go before voters. www.njspotlight.com
What Does It Cost To Win – Or Lose – An Election In New Jersey?–The race in a South Jersey legislative district that should be an easy win for Democrats could turn out to be the most expensive in state history, fueled in part by independent spending that could also break records this year. An analysis by the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission of campaign finance reports filed 29 days before next month’s election estimates that almost 1$0 million has already been spent in the 3rd District, which encompasses Salem County and parts of Cumberland and Gloucester. www.njspotlight.com
Tackling The Toughest Questions Facing NJ’s Public Education System–As New Jersey is about to pick a new governor, the state’s public education system is teeming with challenges, from the funding of the schools to the very makeup of their classrooms in one of the most segregated states in the country. And in a new report issued yesterday, the remedies seemed as vexing as some of the problems, with money in short supply and the state’s racial chasms apparently unbridgeable. www.njspotlight.com
Man Charged With Directing Drug Traffic To Philly And Camden From Puerto Rico–From more than 1,500 miles away in Puerto Rico, Fernando Diaz-Rivera allegedly ran one of Camden and North Philadelphia’s biggest drug rings for years while separated from his associates by an ocean. On Tuesday, officials said, a state grand jury indicted the 34-year-old and 14 other members of the cocaine and heroin distribution network. www.philly.com
South Jersey ShopRite Voluntarily Recalls Store-Made Ground Meat–A South Jersey supermarket has issued a voluntary recall of ground meat because it may contain pieces of plastic and metal. ShopRite of Glassboro along the 200 block of William L Dalton Drive is recalling all store-made ground meat and Meat Loaf Mix with a sell-by date of October 16 that was sold on Monday, October 16. philadelphia.cbslocal.com
South Jersey Industries Donates To Egg Harbor Township Police Athletic League–South Jersey Industries has donated at $5,000 grant to the Egg Harbor Township Police Athletic League for its Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) workshop scholarship program. www.shorenewstoday.com
After Mold Inspections, Four Of Six South Jersey District Schools Reopen–Classes are resuming at four of the six schools closed in Monroe Township in Gloucester County because of concerns over mold. Four of the schools checked for mold were deemed acceptable for reopening, said Superintendent Charles Earling. whyy.org
Car Crashes into Press of Atlantic City Building After Driver Falls Asleep–A Corvette crashed through The Press of Atlantic City building Tuesday afternoon, shattering two large windows and knocking over cabinets. Devon O'Neill, 20, of Pleasantville, said she fell asleep and drove through the intersection of Devins Lane and Washington Avenue. www.pressofatlanticcity.com
AC Mayoral Candidates Bring In Endorsements Ahead Of Election–Two of the candidates vying to be the next mayor of this city are tallying their endorsements three weeks before the election. Republican Mayor Don Guardian, who is running for re-election, announced endorsements on Monday from several city community leaders, including Democratic City Council President Marty Small, who originally set out to challenge him. www.pressofatlanticcity.com