Whither The Chelsea
It sounds like a game of monopoly – Carl Icahn, who just recently sold the Taj Mahal, has now acquired the mortgage to Atlantic City’s Chelsea Hotel. We don’t know why – although it’s next to the Tropicana, so maybe he will actually reopen this shuttered Boardwalk property – but we take a look into what went wrong at the Chelsea.
Matts Landing via @chip427 on Instagram
AC Mayor Is A Popular Job
Even though the city was taken over by the state last year, there are still five candidates hoping to become Atlantic City mayor – why? Amy Rosenberg for The Philadelphia Inquirer asks the question on a lot of people’s minds – just read the story here.
In the rest of the news from the weekend, a 300-acre fire around Shamong has been contained, Somers Point’s Gateway Playhouse is one of two South Jersey theaters reopening this season, Galloway has plans to expand Smithville with a hotel and a residential and retail area, and Longport will accept Ventnor and Margate beach tags during dune construction work this summer. All that and more below:
Atlantic City Residents Express Concerns with Violence, Police Response–Atlantic City residents had a lot to say during a Town Hall meeting held in a neighborhood that began the month with three homicides in nine days. Council President Marty Small — who covers the Second Ward where violence recently heated up — organized the meeting at Brigantine Homes in the city’s Back Maryland section, where three men died in gunfire from May 5 to 13. BreakingAC
The List: Top 10 States Contributing to NJ’s Gubernatorial Hopefuls–New Jersey is one of only two states with gubernatorial elections this year, so the eyes — and the wallets — of the nation are focused on the Garden State. The state Election Law Enforcement Commission has said that this year’s primary is on its way to becoming the most expensive in New Jersey history. www.njspotlight.com
2018 Budget Plan Puts Cleaning Up Brownfields Above Easing Climate Change–The Christie administration is putting cleaning up contaminated brownfields ahead of trying to ease climate change in its current budget proposal. In language in the fiscal year 2018 budget, the administration is shifting $6 million in unexpended funds in the Global Warming Solutions Fund to the general budget to provide assistance to developers seeking to return contaminated sites to productive use. www.njspotlight.com
His Shore Starbucks Have Outlasted Casinos and Hurricanes–Starbucks licensee John Betz has lived through two major setbacks: Hurricane Sandy on Oct. 29, 2012, and the closure of Trump Plaza, one of five casinos to be shuttered since 2014 in this resort town. Both events took out his Starbucks cafés, which were licensed to him, meaning that he runs them himself, pouring his own money into upkeep and helping to design them. Philly.com
Ventnor Plans a Big Summer–People who care about Ventnor want tourists this summer to consider visiting as they choose among Long Beach Island, Ocean City, Wildwood and other shore communities. Press of Atlantic City
46.9-Pound Striper Caught From Atlantic City Jetty–Noel Feliciano said Friday he had a few weigh-ins by late afternoon. And just after he got off the phone with the local scribe, a couple of young fishers from Franklinville came through the door of One-Stop Bait and Tackle Shop in Atlantic City toting the first genuine heavyweight striped bass of the season. Press of Atlantic City
Man Killed, 2 Hurt When Powerboats Crash in Offshore Race–Authorities say a crash during a powerboat race at the Jersey shore has left one man dead and two others hurt. The accident occurred Sunday afternoon during a small boat preliminary event in the Point Pleasant Beach Grand Prix. www.snjtoday.com