The Jersey City Independent "

- The woman who gave birth to a stillborn boy whose body was discarded with the trash at Christ Hospital last December has filed a lawsuit against the hospital and several of its employees. The suit alleges the delivery room doctor “deviated from the standard practices of medicine” and that the hospital fraudulently concealed evidence and intentionally, recklessly or negligently removed, withheld and/or mutilated the bodily remains. Hospital officials say they are still reviewing the suit.

- The Journal profiles Dan Levin in its ongoing series on mayoral candidates today. To avid JCI readers, much of the material covered in the piece is old news, with perhaps the exception of Levin’s criticism of Ward E Councilman Steven Fulop. “Sometimes he’ll focus on generating publicity over things rather than focus on just getting things done,” Levin says. Both Levin and Fulop declined to endorse one another in their respective runs, but the campaigns will be working together on election-day get out the vote efforts. This fact alone makes us wonder just how much the pair’s relationship has actually “soured,” as the paper claims.

- Former mayor Anthony Cucci is endorsing independent candidate Andre Richardson for the Ward A City Council seat. “I believe Andre Richardson will bring new life to Jersey City’s council as a strong advocate for the residents of Greenville,” Cucci says in a statement. “He will work to make our streets safer, create jobs and better opportunities through education a reality in Ward A.”

- Meanwhile, former mayor Bret Schundler is appearing in new robocalls for Republican gubernatorial hopeful Chris Christie.

- Saturday’s “Meetball,” the annual event put on by the Van Vorst Park Neighborhood Association, was — no surprise — teeming with mayoral and council candidates.

- This year’s Macy’s July 4 fireworks will be set off in the Hudson River, not the East River, as part of ongoing celebrations of the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson’s discovery of New York.

- Hudson County officials say they arrested 80 people in the Sheriff’s Office’s annual sweep of residents who receive welfare benefits but owe child support, or who have become ineligible for benefits because there are warrants for their arrest.

- Jersey City real estate agent Barbara Eden will appear on today’s pre-taped episode of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire as part of the show’s “Famous Names Week.” Eden shares a name with the lead actress from the classic sitcom I Dream Of Jeannie.

- Hudson County Community College has appointed Michael Reimer as its associate dean for student services. Reimer, who has been at the college since 2005, will be responsible for the student code of conduct, the adjudication of the student appeals process, new student orientation (in partnership with the Office of Student Activities), the NJ STARS program, and wellness programming. He will also head the Student Crisis Response Team.

Today’s Best Bets:

- Will the mayor’s annual block parties ever get up and running this year? The first two have been cancelled, and with an iffy forecast for the rest of the week, it’s not clear how many will have to be rescheduled. Today’s Block Party is for Ward C, at Pershing Field at 5:30 pm.

- Melissa Surach’s weekly Babyhole open-mic/comedy/live music event returns after a one-week hiatus. She’ll be joined this week by The McMickle Brothers, and she’s promising mayoral endorsements. All starts at 9 pm at the Lamp Post (382 2nd St.).

- Live music: Union City’s Rainbow Fresh will be playing at Lucky 7 Tavern at 9 pm (322 2nd St.).

In statewide news:

- The state Supreme Court has shot down Terry Coder’s attempt to get his 2003 conviction overturned on the grounds that the three-year-old victim’s out-of-court statements were introduced at trial without her taking the witness stand. The court affirmed a Monmouth County court’s decision to allow the child’s mother to testify to what her daughter told her after the incident.

- The state Board of Public Utilities and the Division of Taxation’s Office of Unclaimed Properties will provide more than $3.6 million to help limited income residents pay their electric bills through the NJ SHARES program.

- Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, the state’s largest health insurer, says it is eliminating more than 250 jobs as part of an overall strategy to reduce costs.

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