Further Scrutiny For PennEast Pipeline
The Pinelands Commission – a state authority that oversees an area of South Jersey bigger than Rhode Island – has decided to put off any decision on a $1 billion pipeline proposal presented by a consortium that includes South Jersey Gas. The commission – which isn’t really known for leadership or transparency – failed to give details on exactly what it will do, but there will be some kind of public comment period, NJ Spotlight reports. The PennEast Pipeline, which is supposed to stretch from Luzerne County, PA to Mercer County, NJ, and bring the area cheaper gas, has already been held up by federal authorities after late route changes. It’s not clear whether the Pinelands Commission’s review could further hold up the pipeline project, along with another one that was proposed by New Jersey Natural Gas.
CRDA Reshuffle
It’s old news that the outgoing director of our other local state authority, the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority, will get a golden parachute of a quarter of a million dollars, or one year’s salary. But it’s got Assemblyman Chris Brown in a tizzy and – as we say in the news business – the story seems to have legs. Expensive legs. Anyway, NJ.com has this look at the incoming director, Christopher Howard, who apparently will earn less. One thing that we’re kind of hooked on at Route 40 is questioning CRDA’s legacy. There’s an awful lot to question when you look at an authority that’s spent more than $2.1 billion on projects that have ranged from the ludicrous (laser lighthouse, ’nuff said) to the well-intentioned, but with an arguable return-on-investment, (Bass Pro). Given that the state is in the process of overtaking the parts of the city that it didn’t already control through CRDA, it’s interesting to think about what the authority’s reshuffle might mean for the city at large.
The rest of today’s headlines include news on the internet gaming expansion in North Jersey, a shooting outside Atlantic City’s Tropicana, and the imminent breaking of ground on Pauline’s Prairie.
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Boat Show Signs Five Year Deal To Stay in Atlantic City–The Progressive Insurance Atlantic City Boat Show will return to Atlantic City for the next few years. The show signed a five-year contract to return to the Atlantic City Convention Center, Meet AC said in a news release. Press of Atlantic City
Boraie’s Atlantic City Apartment Project To Break Ground This Week–Fifty years after the land was cleared in the name of redevelopment, someone will finally build something on what’s left of Pauline’s Prairie, the city’s notoriously vacant property. Boraie Development will break ground this week on an $81 million residential complex, one of the largest market-rate apartment projects the city has seen in decades. Press of Atlantic City
Stockton Graduate Takes Lymphedema Measurement To Next Level–A former Little Egg Harbor Township teacher and graduate of Stockton University is getting closer to helping more people with lymphedema across the United States. Press of Atlantic City
On stage with the Atlantic City Ballet’s ‘The Nutcracker’–Phyllis Papa stands in a little rehearsal space inside Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City. She snaps her fingers at members of the city’s ballet company, telling them to turn faster, urging them to be ready next time. Asbury Park Press
Minivan Slams Into Pleasantville Townhouse, Destroys First Floor–Police are investigating after a minivan slammed into a Pleasantville townhouse, completing destroying the first floor of the home. 6abc Philadelphia
State Lawmakers Look To Expand Internet Gaming Opportunities–Already facing competition from the ever-expanding out-of-state gambling market, including the recently opened MGM National Harbor in Maryland, the city’s four-decade-old state casino monopoly is again under attack. State lawmakers are now proposing a bill that would allow Monmouth Park Racetrack in Oceanport and Meadowlands Racing & Entertainment in East Rutherford to partner with existing casino operators to create areas inside the racetracks that offer online gambling. Press of Atlantic City
Two Men Arrested After Shooting Outside Atlantic City Casino–Two men are in police custody Sunday after another was shot outside an Atlantic City casino, police said. PhillyVoice
A look At The Instagrammers Who Captured Tropicana Shooting Aftermath–Erik Fischetti was on a cigarette break outside Atlantic City’s Tropicana early Sunday morning when a man came up to him, lifted up his shirt and said, “They shot me.” BreakingAC
NJ Seizes $69K In Unclaimed Atlantic City Casino Jackpots–New Jersey gambling regulators have seized more than $69,000 in unclaimed jackpots won by gamblers at three casinos who couldn't prove they were old enough to gamble legally, or who left the premises without cashing in. The move by the state Division of Gaming Enforcement has a long reach: it included seizures from two casinos that are now closed, Trump Plaza and the Trump Taj Mahal, which accounted for most of the seized money. SFGate