File this under “We didn’t think of that…” NJSpotlight reports that a battle is brewing in New Jersey’s not-yet-existent offshore wind industry, between the companies that want to build the offshore wind farms and other companies, known as transmission developers, who build the power lines that deliver the energy to customers. It seems like the state got to this stage of permitting offshore wind farms to produce energy, but it hasn’t yet done very much thinking about how to get that energy ashore.
Atlantic County is #Winning at something: reduction of its jail population, according to NJSpotlight. Ok, technically, out of all the counties in NJ, Atlantic County has seen the third greatest decline in its prison population since 2011 (down 35.6 percent) but let’s count that as a win. Before you jump to any bail reform conclusions, however, this has been the result of a long-term project in the county to reduce recidivism (see this announcement from more than a decade ago) and there are a couple of things going on here. One is that the county is relatively rich in number and variety of social-work agencies and they deserve some credit. Another factor is that the county has been under financial pressure for some time. Maybe I’m just a cynic, but there’s been a long-term financial incentive to reduce costs related to the county’s detention facilities.
If you’re looking for some light Friday reading, enjoy this feature from The Inquirer about all the things that get cleared up from Cape May’s beach.
Lastly, the Fox Manor boarding house on Pacific Avenue closed. We did one of our misguided About Town pieces on the last few hours.
For all the other local news headlines, see below:
Stockton Trustees Approve Tuition Hike, Extend Contract For University President–The Board of Trustees at Stockton University approved a tuition and fee increase of 2.5 percent Thursday for the upcoming school year. The trustees also extended the contract of university President Harvey Kesselman through the 2021-22 school year when Stockton will celebrate its 50th anniversary. www.pressofatlanticcity.com
Bridge Between Two Jersey Shore Towns To Close For 8 Months–Drivers who use the Townsend Inlet Bridge in Cape May County are less than two months from having to take an alternate route -- again. The 80-year-old bridge linking Sea Isle City and Avalon, which has been closed on multiple occasions for repairs over the past couple of years, will shut down for about eight months beginning Sept. 18. www.nj.com
NJ Supreme Court To Consider Dismissal Of Old Municipal Court Cases For Minor Offenses–Minor offenses in New Jersey municipal courts that are unresolved and more than 15 years old should be dismissed, the chief justice of the state Supreme Court said in an order issued Thursday. Justice Stuart Rabner issued the dictate just days after a high-court committee recommended a series of reforms following a lengthy review of the state’s municipal courts. www.philly.com
Woman, 31, Fatally Beaten In Gloucester County–Authorities were investigating the fatal beating of a 31-year-old Gloucester County woman found dead on Wednesday. www.philly.com
From Dead Turtles To Lovers, All The Things That Are Cleaned From Cape May Beach ––Bryan Harron starts his shift at dusk in the cockpit of a sea salt-stained tractor, the radio set to anything but jazz and a Big Gulp in the cup holder. He is constantly looking over his shoulder. www.philly.com
For Walt Whitman’s Old Camden Neighborhood, A Bit Of Poetic Justice–Walt Whitman once happily described himself as grateful for being “left over in Camden.” Happily, or perhaps, miraculously, a portion of the block where this great American poet lived and died has somehow survived the decades of disinvestment, decay, and demolition that have eviscerated far too much of the city’s heart. www.philly.com
OFfshore Wind Hits Early Turbulence: Who Will Bring The Power Ashore?–Before New Jersey approves any projects for offshore wind farms along its coast, the state must decide who will build the transmission lines that bring the power to customers. It is shaping up to be a bruising battle, pitting the developers vying to build wind turbines offshore against a pair of companies that want to deploy the underwater power lines from the farms to shore and customers who will use the electricity. www.njspotlight.com
What’s Causing NJ’s Growing Shortage Of Nurses?–New Jersey is facing a severe shortage of nurses. By 2030, it will be short 11,000 nurses — the third largest such deficit of any state. Part of the problem is caused by the retirement of older nurses who had stayed on during the Great Recession. www.njspotlight.com
Extra Homestead Credit In Pipeline But Budget Ploy Keeps Lid On Amount–More than 600,000 New Jersey residents who saw their Homestead property-tax relief credits shortchanged earlier this year — thanks to a state government budgeting mix-up — will be made whole with a makeup credit coming this fall. According to the Department of Treasury, language was written into the spending plan for the current fiscal year that calls for homeowners who qualify for the state’s Homestead property-tax relief program to get an additional direct credit this year; the credit will show up on bills that are due by November 1. www.njspotlight.com
Convicted Cumberland County Sex Offender Pleads Guilty To Child Pornography Charge–A registered sex offender from Bridgeton pleaded guilty last week to possession of child pornography. David Randles, 40, was arrested in April after a tip to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received a tip that child pornography had been uploaded at a residence in Upper Deerfield, Cumberland County Prosecutor Jennifer Webb-McRae announced at the time. breakingac.com
Cleaner, Safer Future For Fax Manor, Property Owner Says–Atlantic City’s troubled Fox Manor Hotel could get a new life, the owner says. Sean Reardon said he bought the land at 2707 Pacific Ave. along with other properties in the city in an effort to help clean them up. breakingac.com
Call To Police Leads To Gun, Drugs In Atlantic City Motel–A Philadelphia was arrested with a gun and drugs after a call to Atlantic City police led police to a motel. Detectives Nicholas Berardis and Anthony Abrams went to the Knights Inn on North Albany Avenue just after noon Thursday after a call to the Special Investigations Section regarding drug sales there, Sgt. Kevin Fair said. breakingac.com
Man Killed By Vineland Police Had Garden Shears Wrapped In Shirt, Prosecutor Says Body Cam Shows–Body camera footage shows the events leading up to the fatal shooting of a Bridgeton man by Vineland police, the prosecutor announced Thursday. Footage from the July 14 incident was being released Thursday to those who made public records requests for it, Cumberland County Prosecutor Jennifer Webb-McRae said. breakingac.com
Prosecutor Moves To Gag Augello In Kauffman Case–The man jailed in the killing of April Kauffman has used Facebook to reach the outside world. Now, the state is looking to stop him. breakingac.com