Trump Plaza
Trump Plaza will most likely be demolished, and although that’s something a lot of people have been saying for a while, NJ Advance spoke to Dale Finch in Atlantic City’s planning department and learned they are clearing out the interior. The question is what will happen to the land and whether Carl Icahn will sell it after demolition? Razing the Plaza could make way for a more pedestrian and bike-friendly connection between The Walk outlets and the Boardwalk. Just putting that out there…
Ocean City, via Susan Allen (@soozi3q on Instagram)
Ballot Questions
There will be two public questions on your ballot next week – one about library funding and one about how to spend money the state receives from suing polluters. The library funding question, if approved, would allow the state to issue $125 million in debt to fund capital improvements for libraries. The second question proposes a constitutional change that would mean money paid out by polluters could only be used to clear up environmental damage and not for general budget purposes. Read up on the ins and outs of the questions here via NJSpotlight.
Brainstorming AC
“One Friday morning at the end of September, a troupe of about 18 city, county, and state officials gathered on the seventh floor of Atlantic City’s stubby modernist city hall for an all-day workshop. The job at hand: Brainstorm ideas for the city’s application for a grant sponsored by Bloomberg Philanthropies.” Read more via Bill Sprouse for CityLab. (Here’s your semi-regular reminder that Route 40’s staff write elsewhere for money, although our goal is to make Route 40 a business that can sustain some employees. If you feel like throwing us a bone, become a supporting Route 40 member here – it’s $50 a year and gives you free access to our events and special offers from our business partners. If you don’t live in the Atlantic County area, you can still contribute via PayPal and you get to feel good about paying for original reporting).
In the rest of the day’s headlines, read about the Burlington County police chief charged with hate crimes, Atlantic City Mayor Don Guardian is pressing ballot fraud allegations, and could a new Rutgers’ athletic facility replace Campbell Field on the Camden waterfront? All that and more below:
Family Hopeful Marijuana will be Reclassified–Lora Barbour knows her family’s fight isn't quite over, but she can see the light at the end of the tunnel. www.courierpostonline.com
October 2017 was a Record-Breaker in Parts of NJ–It's now official. Last month was the warmest October ever recorded in Newark and the fourth warmest October ever recorded in Atlantic City, according to temperature data from the National Weather Service. www.nj.com
Trump Plaza Could be Imploded–It's likely that in the next few months, the Trump Plaza could be demolished, a city official said Wednesday. www.nj.com
Blacks are ‘Like ISIS’: Ex-Police Chief Faces Bias Charges–The former police chief of Bordentown Township said blacks are “like ISIS, they have no value,” mused about joining a firing squad to mow them down, and used police dogs to intimidate black spectators at high school basketball games, federal authorities said Wednesday in announcing assault and hate-crime charges against him. www.philly.com
PSEG Backs Trump Administration Plan to Spur Nuclear Industry–Public Service Enterprise Group is backing a plan by the Trump administration to revive the nuclear industry, but it is keeping options open in seeking a state or other solution to keep plants from closing, according to its top executive. www.njspotlight.com
Medicare Proposal Urges ‘Drastic’ Cut in Home Funding–Despite the advantages of treating seniors at home for certain healthcare needs, the federal government has proposed changes to Medicare that would essentially cut in half the funding agencies have on hand to pay nurses and other homecare staff. www.njspotlight.com
Woman Sentenced in Fentanyl Overdose Death of Pregnant Lower Township Mother–Amanda Albee’s family was devastated when the 30-year-old pregnant mother was found dead after overdosing last November. www.pressofatlanticcity.com
Driver Injured In Crash With Boardwalk Ramp–A man was injured when he flipped his vehicle after hitting an Atlantic City Boardwalk ramp. breakingac.com