High-Speed Trains
How would you like a high-speed train line from Atlantic City to New York? Last week Atlantic City’s council took a step toward making that dream into an actual plan, by unanimously approving a resolution to support a direct high-speed rail link through Tom’s River to the Big Apple. The idea – led by 6th ward Councilman Jesse Kurtz – is to get the project on the desks of New Jersey congressmen who could help it make a list of state infrastructure projects as President Trump considers a federal infrastructure plan. Read more, via Route 40.
Shot taken in Mays Landing by Francesca Migliorati (@bilitis25 on Instagram.)
Storm Surges
Yup, it’s not in South Jersey, but how Jacksonville handles unexpected record flooding caused by a “trifecta of factors” – heavy rainfall, storm surge and lunar tides – could provide some useful lessons for our area. Here’s a piece from Jacksonville.com on the scale of the emergency there. Parts of Georgia are also still under threat as rain continues – this LA Times piece looks at storm surge maps with expected rainfall. And here’s where the National Hurricane Center keeps its interactive maps so that you can see how a storm surge would affect your area. Also – read this Route Fifty look at whether higher flood insurance premiums could affect local government revenue.
In the rest of the day’s news, Dr James Kauffman’s arraignment has been set, read the Inquirer’s Kevin Riordan on Miss America’s pivot to ‘substance’, the Delaware River Basin Commission is moving to ban fracking (but it maybe leaves the door open to future fracking in the state), read about Jim Whelan’s philosophy of life, gnats are swarming in the Delaware Bay area, Bay Head homeowners have lost their court battle against Christie’s push for wider beaches and dunes, and Politico has a behind-paywall piece on Horizon downgrading Shore Medical Center to OMNIA Tier 2 status. All that and more below:
AAA: Expect Gas Prices to Go Down by End of Month–South Jersey motorists may have noticed they’ve been paying more at the pump than usual over the last week. “Usually filling up my tank, I’ll probably pay like $23, if that,” said Alexis Brown, of Berlin. “Now it’s like $30. It’s [only] a couple dollars, but it’s still more expensive than usual.” www.snjtoday.com
Atlantic Cape Community College Foundation Receives $2,500 Scholarship Donation–The Atlantic Cape Community College Foundation received a $2,500 scholarship donation from the owner of Rio Auto Body. Lou Altobelli, owner of the body shop in the Rio Grande section of Middle Township, donated the fifth and final installment of a $12,500 contribution to Create Opportunity — The Capital and Scholarship Campaign for Atlantic Cape, Atlantic Cape announced Monday. www.pressofatlanticcity.com
Atlantic County Synagogue to Send Gift Cards to Harvey Survivors–Members with one South Jersey synagogue are doing their part to help those recovering from the Hurricane Harvey disaster. Representatives with Beth Israel Synagogue in Northfield are collecting gift cards to be sent to the victims of Harvey in Texas. www.snjtoday.com
Housing authority Manager Who Stole Toilet Seat, Checks Avoids Jail–A former manager of the Pleasantville Housing Authority who admitted stealing $826 in checks and a $9.39 toilet seat was sentenced Friday to three years probation. Cheryl Bradshaw, 60, of Atlantic City won't be allowed to hold a public job again and must pay restitution to her victims, Judge Patricia Wild ruled at the sentencing hearing. www.nj.com
New Jersey Funds Project To Improve End-of-Life Care–Despite widespread wishes to die at home, research shows Garden State residents are more likely than many Americans to spend parts of their final months in the hospital, receiving costly and questionably necessary treatments that do little to improve their quality of life. To help shift this trend, New Jersey officials will spend $5 million this year to develop a comprehensive state model for end-of-life care, develop education and training protocols for healthcare providers, and study the impact of hospice placement on patients’ experience. www.njspotlight.com