Tourism Rising
Tourism in Atlantic County increased last year for the first time in five years, The Press of Atlantic City reports, citing state data that attributed the rise to good weather, lower gas prices and a pickup in casino gaming revenue. “Although we feel like we’ve never recovered from the recession down here, most of the people that come here are coming from areas that are doing much, much better than we are,” Richard Perniciaro, director of the Center for Regional and Business Research at Atlantic Cape Community College, told The Press. The cloud? Well, you can read the report for yourself here, but although tourism sales might have bottomed out in 2015 in Atlantic County, direct tourism sales in 2016 were still below 2014 levels.
Food Waste
NJ Spotlight has a neat look at food waste in New Jersey and what can be done about it in a state where there are also a lot of hungry people. There are several bills right now in the state legislature and one is seeking to reduce waste by 50 percent by 2030. You can read the full piece here.
Op-Ed
Geoff Rosenberger became our first Op-Ed contributor yesterday, with a piece here on the role of the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority in Atlantic City and its new executive director Chris Howard. If you would like to submit an Op-Ed, please get in touch by email.
In other South Jersey headlines from the last 24 hours, a raccoon that got its head stuck in a glass jar was liberated by a South Jersey utility crew, Matt Skoufalos at NJ Pen looks at a threatened lawsuit over harassment and misfeasance on the Haddon township police force, and an interactive map looking at where in New Jersey would be affected by the repeal and replacement of the Affordable Care Act. All that and more below.
Looking for something to do this weekend? Come and meet us! We’ll be at Lines on the Pines at the Renault Winery on Sunday, from 11 am to 4 pm. Pick up a signed copy of Bill Sprouse’s book and check out other pinelands writers, crafters, musicians and brewers! On Saturday, we’re going to try and get to the Noyes Arts Garage’s community storytelling event – details on that here. Check out our events page for more ideas on what to do this weekend.
Absecon City Council Drops Tax Rate–Absecon City Council introduced a municipal budget on March 2 that drops the city tax rate by one penny and makes less expensive repairs to the Blue Devils playing field in Pitney Park. Shore News Today
Brick residents: Say no to Wawa–BRICK - Wawa may be a favorite staple in New Jersey, but residents of the Lake Riviera section of Brick are urging the Board of Adjustment to reject a proposal to build another store in the township. Asbury Park Press
Appeals court rejects Straub’s claim to ex-Showboat casino–ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) - Glenn Straub has lost another round in his real-life game of Monopoly in Atlantic City. Philly.com
Could ‘Maternity Report Card’ Help Reduce NJ’s High C-section Rate?–New Jersey has worked diligently to bring down its stubbornly high rates of cesarean section deliveries, but they remain at least 10 points higher than the national average, and the numbers vary significantly among hospitals across the state. www.njspotlight.com
Endangered pine snake halts Ocean County Wal-mart construction–The threatened northern pine snake can breathe a little easier. Wal-Mart has decided not to build a superstore on Route 37 in Toms River after more than a decade of planning. Press of Atlantic City