Ursula Ryan
Longtime local acting coach Ursula Ryan, who ran Weist-Barron-Ryan studios, died last week and you should read Vincent Jackson’s story.
“Through Weist-Barron-Ryan, actors were cast in TV shows such as ‘Blue’s Clues,’ ‘Sex and the City’ and ‘The Nanny,’ commercials or industrial films for Caesars Atlantic City, Ryder Truck Rental and One Stop Car Audio.”
Maternal Mortality
New Jersey ranks 47th in the nation in maternal mortality and Black women were five times more likely to die from childbirth-related causes than White women, according to this story in the Spotlight. The state assembly is considering a package of bills.
Casino Birds
Elsewhere in the Press of AC, Avalon Zoppo did a story on the falcons that had been nesting on the roof of the Hard Rock up until recently. They put up an igloo to make them feel more welcome but they’ve disappeared.
Is it me or has Zoppo been knocking it out of the park lately? I was dying for someone to let me into the Atlantic Club to see the birds in the Sinatra suite but I lack gumption.
Anyway falcons are great and all, but we had a family of black-crowned night-herons nesting in a tree on our street last summer, large birds you might not think would nest in a city with a 40% poverty rate, yet there they were.
Note to readers: If you see a family of black-crowned night-herons parked on a residential street, you should definitely consider parking your car somewhere other than directly beneath it.
Opioid Response
Politico Pro (their subscription service) has a story on the audit from the Office of Legislative Services on the state’s response to the opioid crisis, which has been, “hamstrung by the absence of a single agency or Cabinet-level official to coordinate initiatives across multiple departments.”
For more feats of journalism from across the region, see below…
Dreadlock ref’s long history of racial conflict stains career of technical mastery–Maloney has found himself in more contentious situations than some people know, NJ Advance Media has learned. highschoolsports.nj.com
Longport requests exemption from state’s beach access plan requirement–LONGPORT – After months of wrangling with New Jersey regulations and reporting systems, the borough’s Board of Commissioners passed a resolution Jan. 16 to ask the NJ Department of Environmental Protection for an exemption from a requirement that it have a “department approved” Municipal Public Access Plan. www.downbeach.com
ATLANTIC CITY SNAPS ACIT’S 11-GAME WINNING STREAK, STAYS UNBEATEN IN CAL AMERICAN–The former CFO of an autism non-profit admitted Tuesday to pocketing nearly $115,000 from the organization to make home improvements and buy other personal items, officials said. glorydaysonline.com
PSEG DRIVES HOME VOW TO SHUTTER NUCLEAR PLANTS UNLESS PUBLIC SUBSIDIZES THEM–Absent financial help, PSEG Nuclear vows to close its nuclear units in South Jersey within three years, saying the plants are not projected to cover hundreds of millions of dollars in annual expenditures, according to applications submitted to the state. www.njspotlight.com