Walmart Plaza Details
What else is going into the new Walmart plaza along the Black Horse Pike in Egg Harbor Townships? We’re willing to bet you could probably guess the likely retail: yup, there’s a cellphone store (T-Mobile) and a nail salon (because 21st century strip mall). But there’s also a Starbucks, which I could see becoming a meeting spot for a lot of on-the-road sales people around here. Laura Stetser has the details.
Mapping Immigration
Last week we wrote about New Jersey teachers working with students who speak foreign languages at home. During the reporting process for that piece, we found the state’s Department of Education keeps data on the numbers of students in each school district that need English-language assistance. We decided to map that data over time and across the state. You can see the interactive map here. What’s interesting is how most Atlantic County districts have seen a decline in their immigrant school-going population over the data period (2010-2016). And what’s going on in Ocean City? There’s been a four-fold increase in the number of students there that are classed as “limited English proficient” (LEP). It’s a small district, and that seems like a demographic shift.
Port Republic, by Devon Elizabeth Photography on Instagram.
$50 Mln for Taj
The Jingoli and Morris team got the Taj Mahal casino for a steal – just $50 million, according to financial filings and reported by Nicholas Huba here. It’s going to cost them at least eight times that amount to reopen the property, which means jobs. According to Huba’s report for The Press of Atlantic City, they’ve already hired more than 20 people.
In the rest of the news from the last 24 hours, read about this Camden County program in which prisoners foster shelter dogs for adoption by local veterans, Gov. Christie used his veto power and is fighting with police and fire unions over pensions, here’s why it’s so hard to get a New Jersey liquor license, oh, and the Ocean City housing authority director pleaded guilty to embezzling thousands of dollars. All that and more below:
Resettled Refugees Welcomed to the Region–South Jersey residents packed into the Cherry Hill Skating and Fun Center on April 30 to welcome Syrian refugees who recently resettled in the region. CommUNITY South Jersey Philadelphia (SJP), a non-profit that provides refugee assistance after resettlement, organized the fun-filled "Family Night," which included roller skating, pizza, and transportation for 85 refugee guests who were warmly received by over one hundred of their new neighbors. NJ.com
Mazzeo Introducing Bill That Could Have Prevented PILOT, Will Save Taxpayers Millions–Assemblyman Vince Mazzeo is renewing a push to create a countywide property-assessment process that fell apart amid political disputes over the past several years. Press of Atlantic City
Housing Information Session for Sandy Victims Scheduled For Atlantic City–The New Jersey Department of Community Affairs will hold its 43rd Housing Recovering Information Session from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. on May 15 in Atlantic City. Press of Atlantic City
Fake Atlantic City Hotel Valet Steals Van, Later Arrested–When you pull-up to a hotel or casino in Atlantic City, you assume the person you're giving your car to is a real valet. One person visiting the city Sunday learned the hard way that isn't always the case. WPG Talk Radio 104.1FM
Three Fires at Same Atlantic City Home Under ICit’s and county detectives are helping investigate three possicle arooms at the same home in the past two weeks. “It appears to be suspicious and of a human act,” Fire Chief Scott Evans told BreakingAC on Monday. “They could be related.”nvestigation–Atlantic City and county detectives are helping investigate three fires at the same home in the past two weeks. “It appears to be suspicious and of a human act,” Fire Chief Scott Evans told BreakingAC on Monday. “They could be related.” BreakingAC
Atlantic County Corrections Officer Admits to Criminal Sexual Contact with Female Inmate–A 21-year veteran Atlantic County corrections officer admitted Monday to criminal sexual contact with a woman serving a sentence in the county jail. Officer Castulo Matos, 48, of Egg Harbor City, waived indictment and pleaded guilty to the accusation of the fourth-degree crime in exchange for a sentence of probation. BreakingAC
State Handling Drug Epidemic From All Sides, Criminal Justice Director Says–Two California truck drivers in court Friday for trafficking millions of dollars in drugs through New Jersey Interstate 78 are just part of how the state is cracking down on the growing drug epidemic. “I don’t think the solution solely relies on law enforcement and arrests,” said Elie Honig, director of the state Division of Criminal Justice. BreakingAC
Operation Safe Haven to Help Veterans with PTSD–22 Veterans take their lives due to PTSD every day. But, thanks to Donnie Davis and the folks who are a part of Operation Safe Haven, they\'re doing all they can to change that. Cat Country 107.3
N.J. flooring company to lay off 80 workers–The sale of one of its flooring lines will mean a company-wide layoff of about 80 employees, Mannington Mills officials said Monday. NJ.com
Making Manufacturing a Matter of Public Policy for New Jersey–Although not as dominant an industry as it was several decades ago, manufacturing is still a major part of the New Jersey economy, and a sector where a majority of employers have indicated they’re still looking to hire. www.njspotlight.com