Late Capitalism
Senate President Steve Sweeney said our beloved CRDA should not, repeat NOT, be giving Carl Icahn $5.6 million to pay for site work at the Trump Plaza he closed and let molder for 3+ years, the Observer’s Christian (“We miss you”) Hetrick reported.
In a “harshly-worded statement” (Christian’s words) Sweeney said Icahn was “no friend to Atlantic City” and that he had “serious questions about allowing him to take $5.6 million in funds intended to promote economic development for the city and its residents and instead use the money for his own property.”
“But that’s EXACTLY what CRDA’s for!” the Howler said.
Icahn, the noted populist billionaire and Princeton University Snowflake, has been in Atlantic City only a short time, but he’s already left a mark.
A review of his accomplishments includes:
* the closed Taj Mahal
* the closed Trump Plaza (whose 2013 sale he promised to block)
* acquiring the Chelsea for a song
* appealing his taxes
By the way, there are no current plans to do anything with the big vacant lot that would result from the Plaza’s demolition. The moldering casino at least is a popular destination for Zombie Apocalypse LARPers.
Legal Marijuana and Highway Safety
A representative for the insurance industry told NJ 101.5 the other day that legal marijuana would probably require his overlords to raise the cost of your car insurance, citing the experience of states where the recreational herb use is already legal.
“We are seeing rates go up, and one cause of rates climbing in these states is the presence of recreational marijuana,” the spokesfellow said.
But might it not be a little too soon to tell? Legal marijuana seems to correlate with a reduction in opioid deaths (see here). People OD on the road all the time. Have you noticed the uptick in cars crashing into the sides of buildings? Maybe the net effect would be safer highways. Anyway why should we take the word of the industry whose revenues would stand to go up if what they say is true?
This publication is agnostic, for the record, on the subject of marijuana use, but our drug policies make us the laughingstock of the civilized world.
No word on its impact on the private-prison industry.
Related: “There is no reliable, efficient field test for stoned driving.”
Voting Block
“End the takeover already!” Atlantic City residents are hoping Gov.-elect Phil Murphy has a plan for the city. Read the final installment in our Voting Block series.
A Double-Whammy of Pain
NJ Spotlight’s John Reitmeyer has a nice explainer on the impacts the GOP’s retrograde tax bill could have on New Jersey municipalities. I don’t want to spoil it for you.
Teacher Pay
NJ.com has provided a handy county-by-county listing of top-paying school districts. Median teacher salary’s $66,117.
Eleven New Board Members
The Atlantic County Economic Alliance held its first annual meeting and named eleven members to the board of trustees. You can read their names here. They’re up and running with a small staff and offices “centrally located” in the Hamilton Mall.
A BIT OF SHAMELESS SELF-PROMOTION!
It’s #GivingTuesday or, in our industry, #GivingNewsDay. We are not a nonprofit – we are set up as a small business because we want to invest in and be a part of our community. But we are dependent on reader contributions. In fact, we are the only reader-funded news outlet in the Atlantic City and County area. What does that mean? It means that the news we report on is news that is of interest to our readers. We are accountable to our readers. And we can dig deeper into more of the issues that matter to you. You can become a Route 40 Member, or just make a PayPal contribution. Members get free access to our events (the next Business Bootcamp on Tuesday, Dec 5 will feature an interview with the founder of Greens and Grains at The Exchange, Linwood).
Elsewhere in South Jersey: The New Jersey Conservation Foundation is suing over the use of eminent domain to seize land for construction of the 120-mile PennEast natural gas pipeline. The Press of AC’s Claire Lowe has a delightful feature on the tradition of deer hunting in some South Jersey families. Chris Brown is spearheading a committee that would change the way local candidates are nominated to become judges on the New Jersey Superior Court. And Hobby Lobby’s holding a job fair Dec. 4.
For the rest of the news that’s fit to print, see below:
The Impact of Hard Rock on Atlantic City – Analysis–There is little doubt that the Hard Rock casino will take some casino play from the Atlantic City casinos still operating. But with an experienced company marketing and running the 2,000 room property, the overall market in AC will also grow. acprimetime.com
State-Based Healthcare Protections–Given the instability around federal healthcare policy, New Jersey should take steps to shore up insurance coverage available through the Affordable Care Act — including instituting a state-level insurance mandate, if needed — and implement other policy changes to increase access to care, reduce costs, and improve clinical outcomes. www.njspotlight.com
Atlantic County GOP seeking federal probe of voter-fraud complaint–The Atlantic County Republican Committee is asking U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions to investigate possible voter fraud during the November election. www.pressofatlanticcity.com
Three ideas for addressing NJ’s property taxes–Gov.-elect Phil Murphy will take office in January with a long list of promises to keep, among them that he will boost state aid to underfunded public schools as a way to extend some much-needed property tax relief. www.burlingtoncountytimes.com
Raw Milk Warning–Federal officials are warning anyone who has consumed raw milk in the past six months to see a doctor. www.nj.com